Don't Disturb My Naps
by sakuravampire-aqua
Summary: When you've been cursed and turned into an animal, what do you do? You depend on your friends and help each other try to break said curs-Wait! Who stole my tomato while I wasn't looking? I bet it was that stupid Natalia. And what kinda nickname is that you stupid tomato lover? Why did you name your pet after a spice! Ugh, you better be worth this or I'm peeing on your couch.
1. Basil? Oh God

**For those who aren't familiar with everyone's human names (I've just put in the cursed ones. If you have a question as to who anyone is, just ask): Lovino (Romano/South Italy), Feliciano (North Italy), Natalia (Belarus), Matthew (Canada), Elizabeta (Hungary), Alfred (America), Lukas (Norway), Tino (Finland)**

* * *

"You're a very strange cat," Natalia stated, sitting on her haunches.

She was a long haired light brown cat, to the point of almost having blond fur.

"Just because Feli loves to bathe me?" Elizabeta, a colorful parrot, asked. She let out a little noise as the auburn cat licked her feathers. Feliciano was my brother, and he had a stray strand of fur that stuck out on the left side of his head.

I tuned out their conversation as Matthew, a tiny yellow canary that was hardly ever noticed, started talking to me through the bars of our cages. He had a strand of hair, as strange as it is on a bird, hanging down in front of his face.

"I'm surprised they let Elizabeta stay in the cage with you cats."

I nodded my head. My fur was a dark auburn color, and I also had a stray strand of fur, though mine was in the direction of the right side of my head.

"It's probably because they were tired of pulling her from our cage." I rolled from laying on my stomach to my back. "Why are we even in this place?"

"We're trying to fit in Lovi," Elizabeta told me, rubbing her head against Feli's head. "You know we can easily leave if we really wanted to, but we need someone to break our curses."

"We'll find someone soon guys," Alfred, a yellow bird of paradise, said from beside his canary brother. He had a stray feather sticking up on his head, as though it was a cowlick. "I just have this feeling. And then we won't be stuck like this all the time…Though I'm a pretty impressive bird if I do say so myself."

"And obnoxiously colored," Natalia stated, licking her front paw.

"Shut the hell up, you're not any better to deal with," I told her, giving her a glare.

She glared right back at me. "Just wait. I'll slit your throat while you sleep."

Matthew let out a little chirp. "Guys, please calm down! Eventually someone will adopt us and we'll get out of here! But until then, don't start any fights, please!"

"You guys, listen to Mattie," Elizabeta scolded.

"Ve~ I hope whoever adopts me is nice," Feli said, having finally stopped cleaning Elizabeta's feathers.

"He better be somewhere nearby so I don't have to hunt some bastard down to find you," I grumbled, swishing my tail back and forth in anger.

"I'm sure we won't be pulled too far apart, and we can easily sneak out at night and meet at local parks if we want to check up on each other," Elizabeta suggested. "Maybe the first Saturday of every month."

"What if the first day of the month is a Saturday?" Alfred, ever the smart one, asked.

"It's the first Saturday of the month you dumbass," I told him. "You're going to go to the park."

Elizabeta nodded. "And if no one else is there, go to the next park."

There was a yawn from a cage farther away. "There's a possibility we won't all be able to meet up though." I looked over at Lukas, who had finally woken up. He was a small light yellow dog with stray fur from the back of his head to make a curl.

Beside him was the last of us cursed in this area. Tino, who was still asleep, was shorter than Lukas and was a slightly darker yellow color.

"And maybe some of us won't want to meet up once we leave this place," Natalia added.

"It's not required," Elizabeta told them as Feli came over to my side and curled up beside me. Elizabeta shook her feathers a bit before fixing her wings so she was more comfortable. "Just if you'd like to see how everyone is."

"I'd like to keep seeing everyone, if that's okay," Matthew said.

"Same here," a new voice said. I looked over to see that Tino, who had been the one to speak, had woken up. "Who understands what we've gone through better than someone else who's gone through the same thing?"

"Everyone's been so nice," Feli agreed, stretching out leisurely by my side.

I let out a sigh and curled up against my brother. "I guess I don't mind keeping in touch with some of you." I glared at Natalia above Feliciano's head.

"I'll be happy when I'm finally away from you," she hissed at me.

"The feeling's mutual."

"You guys are always at each others' throats," Alfred stated.

"If she wasn't such a bit-"

The bell above the door rang as some people came into the store.

One was a muscular guy with slicked back blond hair and blue eyes. The one beside him was a guy with pale blond/white hair with red eyes.

"Come on, you know you want another pet West," the white haired male told the other guy.

"I already have dogs at home. You know that Gilbert."

"Then get a cat or something! I know I definitely want to get a bird. A little buddy for Gilbird to hang out with when I'm with Tony or Franny."

This 'West' guy shook his head.

"And besides you need someone there when you're always cramped up in your house doing work or whatever. If you get a cat, it can stay by your side or on your desk or whatever _while_ you work. All your dogs are too big to even lay down on your lap, let alone your desk."

Gilbert walked in the direction of the bird cage, stopping to look into our cage, at Elizabeta. He turned his head to the woman. "Ma'am, you do know there is a bird in the cage with the cats right? Won't the cats try eating it or something?"

The woman at the desk sighed, shaking her head. "We try keeping her out of the cage, but she always manages to get back in…" The woman walked over to our cage and pointed at Feliciano, causing me to hiss at her. No one points at my brother. "That cat likes grooming her."

"Ludwig! Get that cat!" Gilbert told the other guy, who walked over to look at us cats. Gilbert was pointing at Feli. "It sounds like a fun cat to have around." Ludwig sighed, seemingly giving into his companion's prodding.

"I guess I'll get that cat then."

The woman seemed hesitant.

"Um, are you sure you don't want the cat he's curled against as well?"

The man shook his head. "One cat would be enough."

The woman looked at me then Feli, who had been fast asleep this whole time. I stood up and sat in between this woman and my brother. Any time anyone came near us, I'd start hissing and preparing myself to scratch. The workers hated me.

"Lovino, if he doesn't get adopted there won't be a chance of him having the curse broken," Elizabeta said, looking over to me.

"I don't trust this guy," I hissed at her.

"Will you ever trust anyone? At least this way you can see his face since Feli is adopted before you. And he really does seem like a nice man."

I bowed my head in defeat, standing and bending my head to touch Feli's nose with my own. He squeezed his eyes before opening them.

"Ve~ Lovi, is something wrong?"

"You're being adopted," I told him, looking down.

He seemed happy for a moment before something hit him, causing him to let out a long meow. "I don't want to be away from you fratello."

"Just go to different parks the first Saturday of each month till you start finding us. And you better make sure and tell me where you're living too, so I can hunt that bastard down if he neglects you."

Feliciano rubbed his nose against mine before licking my nose. "I'll make sure to find you, no matter what Lovi." He ran over to Elizabeta. "Bye bye, I hope to see you soon as well Elizabeta." He licked the feathers of her wings as she rubbed her head against his.

"Are you done?" the woman in charge of us asked Feli. She looked at me as Feli ran up to her, putting his paws against the wall of the cage.

Feli being the idiot he is, was wagging his tail like a dog.

"You're a cat!" I hissed at him. "Don't wag your tail like a dog."

Alfred laughed. "Dude chill! Let him act like he wants."

"He acts like your dogs," Gilbert said with a laugh as the woman picked Feli up. "This one is definitely going to be a good pet for your dull and boring self."

"Is this the only one?" the woman asked as Feli tried grabbing her hair in his teeth to play with. The workers definitely preferred my brother over me…It's always been like that. Everyone prefers him over me…

"I wanna get a bird as awesome as me, though that'll be difficult. I'll go for one as awesome as they can get." The albino walked over to the bird cage, his original destination from the very beginning, and immediately pointed at Matthew. "He looks just like Gilbird! Well…except that random strand of hair or whatever that is…But it's awesome! I want that one!"

"And you thought you were never noticed bro," Alfred told Matthew, putting his wing around his brother, causing him to be hidden from sight.

"Keep on and you'll suffocate him," I told the idiot bird.

"Oh god bro I'm sorry!" Alfred quickly removed his wing from Matthew, spazzing like the idiot he is.

The little canary shook his ruffled feathers. "It's okay Al."

The woman opened the bird cage and went to put her finger out to Matthew. However, since Matthew was smart enough to know who he went to, he flew out of the cage and onto Gilbert's shoulder.

"And he's a smart one!" Gilbert cheered, turning his head to look at Matthew.

"Remember to go to the park on the first Saturday Mattie," Alfred told his brother, obviously sad to see him leaving.

"I will. You remember as well when you're adopted."

"Come on, return to your cage you," the woman told Elizabeta.

"It's like they're talking to an animal," Elizabeta sighed, looking to me.

"Weird, right?"

"I know."

She hopped up to the open cage door before flying to the cage where Alfred was. The woman closed the door, Feli tucked into her other arm.

"Bye Lovi~ I'll miss you!" Feli called to me as we were leaving.

"Don't get hurt or anything while you're out of my sight!" I called back, running to the bars of the cage.

"Be careful Al!" Matthew managed to yell to Alfred.

Alfred spread his wings, trying to balance himself. "You too!"

"And try not to reveal yourselves!" Elizabeta interrupted the farewells. "We don't need to scare them if they actually are the ones!"

"I think the ones you'd need to tell that to most would be Alfred and the witch bitch in the corner over there."

"Keep on you damn cat, I'll change and strangle you," Natalia hissed from her corner.

"You guys argue too much," Lukas told Natalia and I.

Tino nodded in agreement. "Can't you guys get along?"

"Not in this lifetime," Natalia said, turning her head away from me.

"The only thing we agree on." I continued watching as the woman handed Feli to that Ludwig guy. Feli looked over at me for a moment before cuddling up to the man holding him.

"Be careful!" I called out to Feliciano one final time as the man and his friend left the building.

"We can only hope things go well for them for now," Elizabeta told everyone. "And hope that it won't take too long for the rest of us to get adopted."

As the days passed, the others started getting adopted.

Alfred was next. He had been adopted by a man dressed quite nicely, even so that I was impressed, with huge eyebrows. Alfred took to him quickly and kept trying to get him to laugh by doing stupid things before he was put into his cage…where he continued doing stupid things, like trying to moonwalk.

A tall man with a freaky aura and a child-like face and his big breasted sister bought Natalia after that. Surprisingly enough, she told us goodbye, and told the others she may try to see us everyone once in a while.

Tino and Lukas were the next ones adopted. The two came in together, so they must've been friends. A tall guy, as tall as the one who adopted Natalia, with glasses and short blond hair adopted Tino. The one with spiky hair, slightly shorter than his friend by an inch or two, adopted Lukas.

I kinda felt bad for Tino…He looked pretty scared. Lukas looked to be fine though.

And then finally it was Elizabeta who was adopted, by a guy who looked pretty high class. He had a curl on the top of his head and a birthmark a bit under his mouth.

"Just be nice Lovino," Elizabeta said from her cage in the man's arm. He was busy talking to the cashier. "You want to be adopted as well…Stop scaring people away."

I nodded my head, watching the last of my friends be taken away from me.

It was pretty sad being the only one of our kind left here. Over the span of two weeks all of the others had managed to get adopted. Of course I didn't though…I'd scare everyone away by hissing when they came too close. And no one wanted a cat who hated everything.

So I was left all alone.

"Come on mon ami," a man said, walking into the store probably two hours after Elizabeta was adopted. This man was blond, his hair barely reaching his shoulders, with a little stubble on his chin.

"You see how awesome Gilleasbuig is! And you saw mein bruder's cat Bannruod. They both came from here, so this must be a pretty awesome place for a pet for you." Those words came out a familiar albino male.

If he was talking about a cat, it must be that guy who came in with him…so they were brothers, not friends.

And my fratello and Matthew had crappy German pet names. I feel very very sorry for both of them.

"Gilleas and Ban Ban are fun to watch mi amigo," a third male admitted, walking into the store. He had messy brown hair and bright green eyes that just had that happiness in them.

Gilbert, if I remember correctly, walked through the store slowly, looking at all the animals. "These aren't as fun as the ones we got a few weeks ago though. And it looks like all of them are gone…Except this one." He stopped looking down at me. "If I remember correctly, this one was very protective of mein bruder's cat."

"Maybe they're lovers?" the blond asked, before looking in the cage.

"They're male cats, and look very similar," Gilbert told his friend.

"Maybe they're familia?" the brown haired male asked, looking at me as well. "Maybe I should get him so he's not far from Ban Ban?" He looked over his shoulder at the woman working at the desk. She was different from the one who gave my brother to that German meat sack. "Ma'am?"

"Yes sir?" she asked, walking over.

"Can I get this cat?" He pointed down at me, causing me to glare at him. My tail swished back and forth in aggravation.

"Um, are you sure you don't want another cat? That one is sort of mean, always trying to scratch anyone who gets close."

"He just needs some love," this man said. "It's not nice to leave someone alone when all they need is someone who cares, si? So I want this one."

This guy is the first one to actually still want me even after being warned of my temperament…That's a nice change.

"Oh um, then I guess I'll get his papers ready."

"Come see mi amigo," this man said, holding out his hand for me to come nearer. I just sat there, looking at him like he was an idiot.

"I don't think he likes you Toni," Gilbert told his friend.

"It's because he's not use to me. I'll get him to warm up to me eventually."

"But until then?" the blond asked. "How're you going to even get him home if he won't come to you?"

True, and if I didn't go to him, there was a chance he might decide not to take me. And he knew the guy who had Feliciano, so I'd be able to see at least my brother.

Despite what I felt, I walked over to the guy's hand, sitting right out of his reach. He stared at me, trying to reach me. I stared at his hand, batting it away, my claws sheathed so I didn't scratch him.

"I think he's messing with you now Antoine…" The brown haired guy, who I didn't know his name because his friends kept calling him different things, opened the cage and reached in to pet me.

I let him and purred as he scratched behind my ears…To convince him that I'm a nice enough cat to take home! Not because I enjoyed it or anything!

"See? He's not such a bad cat. He just needs some love and affection."

His albino friend snorted. "And we all know you have more than enough of that to give out."

"Let me just put him in a cage for you," the woman said, coming over with said prison.

I backed away to the back of the cage I was in, hissing. Those things were so cramped and made me feel claustrophobic.

"I can just carry him," the man told her.

"Are you sure sir?"

He nodded and reached out to me again. "Mi amigo, I won't make you go into the cage. Don't back away."

"We'll go get some things for your new little friend while you try getting him out of there Toni," Gilbert said.

"Get some nice things for him please."

"We know mon ami."

The man in front of the cage turned his attention back to me. "Will you come to me if I tell you my name? It's Antonio…Hmm, what'll your name be? Maybe Basilio?" Eh, it sounded pretty good. "It means noble in Spanish, and you have that kinda look about you, so I think it matches you." He smiled. He was talking to me like I was another human…It definitely felt nice.

Ah what the hell, no one has to know I was nice to someone other than Feliciano.

I walked over to the man, avoiding his hands and sitting right in front of the door of the cage. He blinked down at me before smiling and picking me up and pulling me out of the cage.

"Isn't it much better being out of that cage?" He held me in his arms and went find his friends as I just looked around the store.

None of us had the chance to explore this place since we couldn't change. It wasn't exactly that we couldn't, but we didn't know if there were any cameras in this building, and we didn't want to risk it.

"Which bed do you like better Basilio?" Antonio asked me, standing near Gilbert.

"This one is adorable!" the blond guy said, holding up a bed with little bones on it.

I hissed at it…Was this guy an idiot? I'm a cat, not a dog.

"Um…Toni's holding a cat, not a dog Francis…Maybe you should get your eyes checked."

"I meant for my little Pierre back at home. His bed is getting pretty dirty and I'm sure he'll love a new bed."

"We're searching for a cat bed right now though," Antonio told his friend, who I finally found out was called Francis…The French Bastard is his new name to me.

"What about this one?" the man holding me asked, pointing at a red bed with his foot. "It reminds me of a tomato!" He looked down at me. "Do you like it?"

I looked at the bed and tilted my head.

It's been a while since I've been able to eat a tomato…I miss those things. And it'd be nice to have a bed to remind me of the things I loved to eat.

To show Antonio my approval of the bed, I licked his hand.

He chuckled. "I don't know why everyone says you're mean. You've been nothing but a sweet little kitty to me."

No…I'm not a sweet kitty. You better not think differently.

I bit down on his hand I had just licked, causing him to wince and his albino friend to laugh.

"I don't think he takes being called a nice kitty well." Gilbert bent down, picking up the red bed. "But he approved this, from what I saw, so this is his bed…which isn't as awesome as Gilleas's bed, but I guess good enough for you."

"Gilleas's bed is anywhere he wants to sleep," Antonio said with a laugh.

"And he normally sleeps somewhere near my bed, which is awesome because I sleep in it."

"We figured you'd want a decent brand of cat food and not the cheapest one, so I picked this one up." The French Bastard held up a bag of cat food that I'd be stuck eating until I went out and found some real food…unless Antonio gave me human food. I'd hate him less if he did that.

"I guess that works. I'd have to try and see if my little Basil likes it."

Basil?

What….the actual fuck?

This man…

Was dropped on his head as a child.

He turned me into a god damn spice.

"Now let's see if we can get him a toy or two and a scratching post."

Don't worry about the scratching post…I plan on using your couch after you turned me into a spice as a nickname.

"And a litter box as well," the French Bastard added.

No need for that either…Maybe if my name changes from something that belongs in food, I'll consider not leaving gifts for Antonio to find.


	2. Relaxation Time

**The people you know so far names: Ludwig (Germany), Gilbert (Prussia), Francis (France), Antonio (Spain), Jeanne (Joan of Arc), Roma (Ancient Rome)**

* * *

"This is your new home mi amigo," Antonio told me, putting me onto the floor. Francis and Gilbert came into Antonio's decent enough home, carrying things for me.

I explored a bit to figure out all the rooms. He lived in an apartment, though it was a fairly nice one. I figured that if he was alone it'd be small with one room and a tiny bathroom. There were two bedrooms, a nice-sized bathroom, and even a hall closet. His kitchen and living room were separated by a counter. In his living room there was a couch, recliner, TV, and even a bookshelf, and there was still room to walk around and such. The kitchen had just as much space, with a small table in it. There were four chairs around it, and three stools near the counter.

I'm very impressed.

To show how much I liked his place, I jumped onto Antonio's recliner and curled up into a little ball, watching as he talked with his friends.

"Look what I have," the albino bastard said, catching my attention. He held up a little toy that had a strong smell to it.

Damn it…Stupid catnip. Why couldn't I be a dog like Lukas and Tino? They didn't have to deal with cat nip.

Ugh…

I got up from my comfortable seat and walked over to him, looking up at the dangling toy. He was finding entertainment in this so I decided to humor the simple-minded bastard and try to get the toy. After a few failed attempts, I gave up going after the toy and went for his leg, climbing him and then managing to make my way to the arm that had the toy.

"I found a pretty smart cat," Antonio said, pulling me from his friend's arm.

"Yeah, instead of trying to get his prize when Gil kept pulling it out of his reach, he went to the source."

"That damn cat has sharp claws," Gilbert, the baby, whined. He was rubbing his arm, where I had caught his skin with my claws.

You shouldn't have dangled a toy in front of me like that and not let me have it, you stupid albino. I'm smarter than you think.

Speaking of which, where is a calendar in this place?

I looked around, searching for one.

"Are you looking for something mi small Basil?"

I dug my claws into the arms around me, causing the Spanish idiot to bend down and put me on the floor. At least he was kind enough not to drop me before rubbing his now hurting arms.

I jumped to the stool beside the counter, then to the counter itself, looking around the walls until I found what I was looking for. Sitting in front of it, I stared at the calendar.

A week left until the first Saturday of the month, which means I'd need to figure out a way to get out of here without Antonio noticing. I have no idea on how lightly he sleeps, so I'll have to figure that out in this week. If he's a heavy sleeper, I'll have no problems leaving. The problem is if he's a light sleeper, it'll be difficult to find a way out. He'd hear me if I opened a window or went out the door.

"Your cat's staring at the calendar Antoine. Maybe he has a hot date."

Gilbert snickered. "Yeah right!"

I really wonder how that's going to work out…

None of us have any clothes hidden with us for when we change back. We don't exactly get clothes when we change, which means we'll have to borrow the clothes of whoever we're staying with. Sadly I don't think most of us will fit into the clothes we'll be wearing…

And we have to be able to put the clothes back without our owners finding out. Again, it all goes back to having a lightly sleeping owner and a heavy sleeping owner. Most normal people have their clothes in the same room they sleep in, therefore we can't get away with getting their clothes without going in their room…Unless we went through their dirty clothes, which none of us would stoop down to. We'd rather stay animals than do that.

And Elizabeta will have some difficulties seeing as how her owner is male. Natalia was adopted by a guy with a sister, so I'm sure she can figure something out with that….If she even wears underwear…Ugh…I don't want to think of that.

I'll just have to figure out my own problem for right now. The others, minus Alfred and my brother, are smart enough to figure things out. I'm sure even those two can figure out how to get out without being caught though…They're not as dumb as bricks.

Just as dumb as rocks.

I shook my head and walked to the other end of the counter. Sitting there, I stared up at Antonio. He blinked, looking down at me.

"Uhm…."

Yeah…I don't think it'll be that hard to get away from this one.

I was about to jump from the counter to the floor when something caught my attention. My attention was solely on that one thing as well. Eventually I did jump down to the floor, and slowly made my way closer to the albino.

"What're you creeping on me for?" he asked, looking down at me.

I ignored him and stood still for a moment before pouncing at the bottom of his shirt and biting the loose string between my teeth. It grew longer as I fell back to the floor, happy with my accomplishment.

"Hey!"

I played with the bit of string I had managed to break off of his clothes, thoroughly enjoying myself more than when he was dangling that toy in front of me.

"He just wanted the loose string from your shirt Gil," Frenchy said with a laugh before glancing at the fancy watch on his wrist. "Oh I've got to leave. Jeanne should be getting off work soon and will be very upset if I'm late for another date."

"I guess I should get going, and see if Gilbird and Gilleas are breaking anything that I'll end up laughing about…Maybe that weird naked baby Franny gave me…"

"It's a cherub!"

"It's a naked baby!"

"Adios mi amigos!"

"Bye!" both people called as they left the apartment. They immediately continued their argument after though.

"Well, it's only us now Basilio," Antonio said. "How about I put some food and water into your bowls and then I'll get to work on my own food. I haven't eaten all day." He reached down and scratched me on top of my head with a smile.

While he was taking care of fixing the food I'd ignore until I was starving, I jumped back up to the counter. Hopefully if I watched him long enough, he'd let me have some human food. Maybe a tomato as well.

Cat food and water were put into my bowls, human food was taken out of the fridge, and stares were directed at the back of a certain human's head.

"Haha, I can't cook if I know you're staring at me Basilio." Antonio turned to look at me and I walked on the counter to finally reach whatever he was cutting. It was onions.

But on the side were some tomatoes. Yes! I wanted one of those!

"Not so close mi gato amigo. Your fur might get into the food. Even though you're such a sweet kitty, I don't think your fur will taste very nice."

I sat down and watched as my owner cut up the onions like he knew what he was doing…He probably did. He did live on his own and someone had to cook for him. He was far from out of shape, so he obviously didn't order pizza and Chinese every night. In fact, since he wouldn't care that a cat was looking at him, I took the chance to really check him out from my spot on the counter.

He wasn't muscular, but yet he also wasn't scrawny either. The tan he had looked very nice on him, and natural, as opposed to tans that I've seen on many other people. His green eyes and messy hair a shade darker than my fur just made him a downright attractive guy.

I'd never admit that out loud though.

And it's not like he can ask me what I think. I'm a cat. Cats can't answer humans.

Maybe if I didn't have this curse I'd consider dating him…But I don't even know if he's the one to break it or not, so I wouldn't want to risk it. If I get attached to him and he's not the one, I'll end up having to hurt the both of us. And I really don't want that pain.

There's also the fact that I didn't even know if he was attracted to males. I had only figured it out myself that I was attracted to males in my junior year in high school when I ended up kissing one of my male friends at a party.

My best friend had admitted that she was a little upset that I didn't like girls though, because apparently she'd liked me since I moved from Italy. I had ended up staying at her house that night to cheer her up. Ice cream and chick flicks all night, but she was a bit happier the next day, especially when I told her there was someone out there for her. Someone who would love her for the beautiful girl she was. We still talked out of high school, up until this damn curse happened. I started losing touch with her since I spent most of my time as a cat and couldn't change and talk to her like I wanted.

"Would you like one?"

I blinked, looking at the red object in front of my eyes.

"I don't know if it's good for cats, but it tastes good…And I'm sure it can't be that bad." He set down the food in front of me and I finally recognized it as a tomato.

Fuck yes.

This man gave me my favorite food.

I quickly ate the piece, licking my whiskers to get as much of the taste of the wonderful food as I could.

Chuckling reached my ears, causing me to look up at Antonio's smiling face. "You like tomatoes too? I think we'll get along very well Basilio." In the end, he ended up cutting a whole tomato and putting it on a plate for me.

I was highly pleased.

I showed that by the fact that I ate all of the tomatoes on my plate, jumped off the counter, made my way to Antonio's recliner, and ended up making said recliner into my bed for a nap.

"Will you sleep in your bed or on the recliner tonight?" Antonio asked from the table, causing me to lift my head and look at him. "They're both pretty soft."

I'd rather sleep where I was comfortable, which was right here right now. Maybe if I had to pee and was too lazy to jump back on here, I'd sleep in my bed.

So, I figure as an answer to the man eating at the table, I laid my head back down.

He chuckled. "I guess I'll let you rest tonight and get use to your new home then. And tomorrow we can play and get use to each other."

Yeah, and while you sleep I'll search your room to see exactly where your clothes is and find out if you're a light sleeper.

I laid on my side, stretching my paws out and generally just taking up as much room as possible. It kinda made me wonder what kind of job this guy had if he can afford a place like this. And this was a nice recliner, meaning it wasn't cheap, so I can just assume the rest of the things in this place were the same.

Maybe he was a secret agent?

Nah. He doesn't look smart enough for that.

Teacher? Nope. They don't make enough for this kinda stuff…And he still doesn't look smart enough.

"Basilio, you'll be on your own starting Monday." The idiot had pulled me from my musings. Apparently while I was busy thinking he had finished eating and come into the living room. The smell of dishwashing liquid reached my nose, meaning he had also washed the dishes. Antonio was sitting on the couch now, watching TV. Or at least he _was_ watching TV; now he was looking at me. "I work weekdays so I'll be gone all day. I'll probably smell like the restaurant when I get home, so I hope you don't mind the smell."

Oh, well now I don't have to wonder what he does. From how he was cutting his food, he must be a chef or something. I think they get paid pretty well…I wouldn't know. I'm not a chef. And the only job I had before all this was a waiter.

I held that job for about three years, working with Feli the last year.

I have to admit, the tips were nice. Two waiters that worked in an Italian restaurant who were of Italian descent and could speak the language got us good money. And we used that money to pay the rent for the apartment we shared, along with indulging every once in a while…

Especially with gelato.

Though I always had to scold my fratello for eating too much, because he'd end up getting a stomach ache after.

I yawned, stretching a bit more.

It's been two weeks since I've seen Feli. We've never been apart this long. Even after I moved out, I still saw him every other day for coffee or pasta. And then we started seeing each other every day again when he moved into my apartment with me.

It's weird not having him around.

And it's lonely…

Since Grandpa Roma died, it's only been us two. That's why Feli moved in with me to be honest. He didn't want to be alone in the house, and neither of us wanted to be reminded that our parents _and_ grandfather were gone. We still have the house in Italy, and we have the money as well…but we felt like using it would make it official that they were gone. We knew they were, but we weren't ready to accept it.

That and we were kinda stuck as cats most of the time, so even if we were ready to accept it, we couldn't really do anything about it. I had to tell the caretakers of the house that Feliciano and I would be out of touch for a while, and to just take care of the house while we were gone. We couldn't go in there and randomly turn back into cats. I think our old maid would have a heart attack.

So right now, even though I've finally accepted their deaths, I couldn't take any of the money because I didn't have a permanent home. And as a cat, I don't think the money would stay with me for long.

And why were the rest of us suffering? Alfred was the one who touched that stupid charm in the shop!

And he was also the one who broke it too…

Whatever…

The only thing the rest of us could do was try to break the curse, which only had one good outcome to it so far.

We've made some good friends in these two years being cursed…

Minus Natalia.

She should've been a dog instead.

She's enough of a bitch to match.

A little snicker escaped my lips, sounding like a mix between a hiss and a purr.

I have to admit though, being an animal for the most part these past two years has really changed the way I think about cats. I appreciated them a bit more now that I knew through experience how they acted on impulse and such…Because once or twice I ended up catching a mouse and killing it…And then eating it.

Damn I was sick to my stomach after I realized that. I ended up turning into a human and forcing myself to throw it back up. After that Elizabeta told me to try coughing it up as a cat next time, so that she and the others didn't have to watch as I forced myself to throw up something I ate again.

I hadn't realized how bad Feliciano had felt watching me stick my finger down my throat to throw up a dead mouse.

This was all while we were on the streets though, before we finally figured out a way to break this curse. With Lukas and Matthew having done some stealthy research, we figured out that we needed someone to be our other half. It didn't have to specifically be love, but even just mutual respect or a deep friendship. And it couldn't be just anyone. It had to be a specific person…So it'd be pretty hard for us to get it right.

It was then that Elizabeta decided that we should try to be adopted as pets, to try to find these people. If our curse wasn't broken within a year or two, we'd try again and again. There was one flaw she had to her plan, and I've pointed it out to her before. What if we get attached to someone who wouldn't be able to break our curse?

Then we decide if we want to stay as an animal to stay with them, she had said. We could choose to reveal ourselves and risk scaring them off. If they weren't scared off, they could possibly help us, though I doubt that'd happen. Or we could stay as we were and just live the rest of our lives as pets with a long lifespan.

I honestly don't want to live as a cat my whole life, and I don't want to see my brother live his whole life as a cat either. I want to break our curses so we can live our lives like we want.

"Goodnight mi Basilio," a voice said, breaking through my thoughts. I opened my eyes, which I hadn't realized that I closed, and saw that Antonio was getting up. The TV was off and he was turning off the lamp in his living room. He walked over to me and rubbed the side of my belly. "I hope you sleep well in your new home."

I watched as he walked away and soon the kitchen light was turned off as well and Antonio went down his hall.

He went into a room and I heard some noise as he searched for something. After some searching I heard him walk to another room and the door close. A minute or two after, the shower started.

All I have to do is wait until he finished his shower and went to sleep, then I can search his room. First I'll have to see if he's a light sleeper though, so I'll go in his room as a cat and nudge a few things and make a little bit of noise. If he stays asleep, I'll have to change and quickly search around to find what I'd need for the weekend. I can easily go outside barefooted, so all I'd really need would be a shirt and pants. Boxers would be more comfortable, but I really didn't want to risk it.

It was risky enough taking his shirt and pants and hoping he wouldn't notice.


	3. Close Call

**Mathias (Denmark), Berwald (Sweden), Arthur (England/UK/Britain), Roderich (Austria), Ivan (Russia), Sofia (Ukraine), Emma (Belgium), Abel (Netherlands)**  
**And yes, I do know that Norway's curl isn't actually attached to his head and that it has a little dot that floats independently beside it, but this story is trying to be _somewhat_ believable…Anyways, just wanted to tell you guys, before anyone said anything about it.**

* * *

"Fratello~" I was hugged from the side as Feliciano finally reached me.

"I see you guys managed to get out," I said, looking at everyone. The only one missing was Natalia.

"I was trying to get across the road without being seen," said missing person told us, walking around a tree. She was a fairly pretty girl, though I'd never tell her that. Her blonde hair went down to her waist and her dark blue eyes had a glare in them, something I always saw when she was in her human form. She was wearing a loose-fitting green and black dress tied a bit under her right arm to keep it from falling.

She wasn't the only one in her human form though. All of us were, and I took the moment to actually see what everyone was wearing and get use to seeing them as humans once again.

Elizabeta was a beautiful young woman with brown hair reaching a bit under her shoulder blades and green eyes. She was wearing a dark blue suit and matching pants that fit tight around her chest and hips. Unlike the one who adopted her, she wasn't flat and her hips and breasts caused her to fill the outfit more than he would have.

Matthew had slightly lighter blond hair than his brother and blue eyes, something he shared with Alfred. He also kept his strand of hair in front of his face, just as Alfred kept his cowlick. He was wearing a slightly loose grey shirt and some loose blue jeans.

Alfred, who was busy hugging Matthew, was wearing a slightly tight, white shirt and some jeans. He didn't have the glasses he said he wore before all of this…Though he admitted he didn't really need them to see. He just wore them for the style.

Lukas had short light blond hair, with his curl in the back, and dull blue eyes. His bangs on the right side of his face fell over his forehead, but he had brushed the other side to be out of his face, probably with his fingers. The red shirt and pants he wore were definitely too big on him, since he had to keep fixing the shirt from falling off his shoulders and his other hand wasn't letting go of his pants.

Beside him, Tino was even worse, almost drowning in his navy blue shirt and pants. He had short blond hair and violet eyes. There was also a blush on his face as his shirt or pants kept falling.

Hanging off of me was my auburn haired brother, the curl above his left ear bouncing as he giggled and such in happiness. He has brown eyes and was wearing a half zipped, over-sized, green jacket and some green pants that were currently on the ground.

"You idiot," I told him, giving him a quick hug before pushing him away gently. "Pull your pants back up."

I had a slightly darker shade of auburn hair than my brother, my curl coming from farther up on my head, around where my hair parted, and sticking out to the right side. Unlike my brother, my hair was parted to the side while his was parted in the middle, and my eyes were hazel. I wore a slightly loose red shirt and black pants.

The one thing I noticed on all of us is that none of us wore socks or shoes. I highly doubt any of us were wearing underclothes as well…I definitely knew Feliciano wasn't, since I saw his nude ass when his pants fell.

"So what kind of stupid names did everyone get?" I asked as all of us walked to a part of the park that had trees we could hide in.

"Kaliya," Natalia answered with a shrug. "It's Russian and supposedly it was the name of a slayer." She grinned as she glared at me. "Guess what that means."

I growled at her. "Shut it."

"My name is Rina," Elizabeta said with a smile. "It's German if I remember correctly."

"Mattie's and mine are German as well," Feliciano said with a smile. "Mine is Bannruod. Mattie's owner and his friends like calling me Ban Ban though."

"Mine is Gilleasbuig," Matthew said quietly. He was looking down at his feet. "Gilbert likes calling me Gilleas though."

"Asulf," Lukas told everyone to get the attention from Matthew. "Danish for divine wolf…I looked it up after Mathias fell asleep a few days ago."

"Um, mine is Vilfrid," Tino added. "Though it's hard to understand Berwald sometimes."

"I got a boring one," Alfred groaned. "Lance. I swear Arthur is a boring guy in the imagination department."

"Something you have too much of," I mumbled. "You balance each other out nicely."

"Well what about you?" Alfred asked, having heard me apparently.

"I got the Spanish name of Basilio. It means noble. My nickname is Basil though…"

Natalia let out a laugh. "You're named after a spice!"

"Shut it you damn-" My sentence was cut off as I changed back into a cat. I hissed.

I really shouldn't've changed right before I left and stayed this way the whole time. I should've carried the clothes in my mouth until I got here.

"How long have you been human?" Elizabeta asked me.

I wrote the number fifteen in the dirt on the ground, unable to talk to the others since I was an animal and they were humans.

A sigh escaped her lips as she picked up the clothes, holding them in her arms. "You know we don't have much time as a human. Why didn't you carry your clothes here? Or even change back and give yourself more time?"

I shrugged before sitting, causing her to sigh.

"Well I guess we can change back to our animal forms for now since we probably don't have much time…And so we can talk to Lovino." She folded the clothes in her arms before setting them on the ground and changing back.

The others did the same, the clothes falling off of them as they changed. I noticed that none of them had underclothes falling from them as they changed. They probably figured it'd be too much work and it would be riskier.

"At least my owner knows Lovi's owner," Feliciano said, wagging his tail happily like a dog. "Luddy knows him because Gilbert is close friends with Tony."

"Which means that we can keep in touch with Matthew as well," I said, sitting on my haunches.

"Roderich talks about a Ludwig from work," Elizabeta informed us, getting comfortable by my side. Feliciano laid on my other side. "So I assume my owner knows Feli's."

"Antonio talks about a Roderich that comes eat at his restaurant sometimes with some of his co-workers."

"Mathias complains about Berwald." Lukas shook his head and laid on the ground.

"I've heard Berwald talking on the phone to a Mathias once." Tino grabbed his clothes, trying to move it together before laying on it. "I hope it's the same people."

"It probably is." I could tell Lukas was trying to cheer Tino up a bit. Out of all of us I think Tino was the most sensitive.

Alfred seemed to think. "Arthur complains about a 'bloody frog' who I think is called Francis, and he seems to hate an Antonio a lot."

"That's my owner," I said with a sigh. "And Francis is his friend."

"He's Gilbert's friend as well," Matthew added.

"Are you connected to the rest of us in any way Natalia?" Elizabeta asked.

"Ivan and Sofia have a few friends…I think Ivan's mentioned an Arthur in passing once to Sofia, but that was it. I don't think they're really friends though. Just acquaintances."

"Well at least we're connected with at least one person," Elizabeta said. She let out a chirp, which probably was supposed to be a sigh. "In some way or other at least."

"Yeah." I moved my paws so I could lay beside my brother.

"Ve~ Fratello?

"Yeah?"

"I miss Grandpa."

"Me too."

"Can we move back home one day? Back in Italy? Or at least visit there."

I turned my head to look at him, seeing that his eyes were closed. "We can do whatever you'd like. What brought this about though?"

"When Luddy goes to work, I get lonely…And I was thinking about Mama and Papa and Grandpa."

I licked the top of Feliciano's head. "You weren't the only one. When Antonio's at work I start thinking about things…And I end up missing you."

I heard some shuffling and looked up, seeing Alfred wiping his eyes with his wing. "Ah sorry man. This is just so touching. It makes me miss my own brother!"

"He's right next to you dumbass," I told him.

He looked to his side to see that indeed I had been right, and his brother was relaxing beside him, talking to Lukas and Tino.

"I love you bro!" he shouted, wrapping his wings around Matthew and scaring the living shit out of him. Matthew let out a loud chirp of his own before realizing it was just his stupid brother.

"What's wrong Al?"

"He was listening into our conversation over here," I answered.

"They were having a sibling bonding sort of moment," Elizabeta explained.

"Oh."

So now Matthew was stuck comforting Alfred.

"What's your owner like?" Feli asked me.

When I looked down at him, I could see that his eyes were open and he was looking at me.

"Antonio?" Feli nodded and I could feel his tail hit me as he moved it in anticipation. "He's a chef at a restaurant from what I gathered. He makes food that smells really good. The bastard won't give me any though because he doesn't know if cats can have the food he makes…He gives me tomatoes though, so I let him off the hook. He likes playing with me and petting me. He's definitely not the brightest around, but he's always pretty happy. What about yours?"

"Luddy's really nice. When he's at home, he'll let me lay in his lap while he does paperwork at his desk. And lets me sleep in the same bed as him as well. Oh and he scratches me behind the ears and rubs my belly while he's reading. And when he's done with all his work he'll play with me."

"Roderich doesn't treat me like that," Elizabeta added, causing both Feli and I to look at her. "He'll stroke my head and such, but I'm not as cuddly as a cat so he can't exactly let me sleep wherever I want. He let's me out of my cage twice a day, and I end up just relaxing on his desk and listen to him play his piano. He's a very good pianist, but he doesn't really loosen up and have any fun."

"Sounds like Arthur."

"I think this turned into another story time," I said with a sigh before listening to Alfred continue.

"He lets me out when he gets back from work and puts me back in my cage before he goes to sleep though. But he's so boring. He spends his time reading or watching boring shows. And he switches the channel when I change it to sports."

"Ivan is fairly quiet," Natalia said before licking her paw. "But he loves petting me a lot. Sofia is more of a crybaby and always apologizes, and she's almost suffocated me a few times when trying to hug me."

I let out a chuckle. "A few more hugs might actually do the job then."

"That's it!" Natalia jumped at me, causing Feli and Elizabeta to move out of the way so they didn't get hit.

She and I rolled around, scratching and biting any skin we could reach.

"Stop it you two!" Elizabeta scolded right before I turned human. I grabbed Natalia by the scruff of her neck while she hissed at me.

She turned human as well and started trying to scratch me with her human nails.

"Get off of me you bitch!"

"Not until you're bleeding on the ground and crying for mercy!"

Lukas barked loudly and swiped at me first then Natalia, causing us to back away, glaring at each other. He growled and I heard a loud chirp from behind me that probably came from Elizabeta. A nip at the back of my right leg told me that Elizabeta wanted me to change so she could scold me or something.

I sighed before changing back into a cat.

"I told you two to stop fighting so much," she scolded.

"I hate him," Natalia stated after changing, as though it explained everything.

"And she's an annoying bitch."

"Do you think Tino wants to see you two fighting, let alone naked?" Lukas asked, sitting beside Tino, who had his paws over his eyes. "Please consider the rest of us when you change into a human." He nudged Tino with his nose. "They're decent now."

"I know, but still." He kept his eyes covered.

"Please, if you guys fight can you keep it as cats?" Matthew asked. "But it'd be nice if you didn't get in fights at all."

Feliciano came next to me and rubbed his head against mine before licking my wounds. "I don't like when fratello gets hurt."

"And now you guys need to figure out how to keep the blood off the clothes you borrowed," Alfred said, for once being serious.

"Good job guys," Lukas told us. "Your intelligence is astounding."

"Antonio is too stupid to think anything of it." I let my brother continue licking my wounds. "I'll just throw it into his dirty clothes pile if there's any blood."

"You're risking getting caught Lovino," Elizabeta told me, shaking her head. "We don't want to risk it. Just…calm down." She looked over at Natalia, who was licking her own wounds. "You calm down too Natalia."

"Fine."

"Thank you Feliciano," I told my brother, trying to ignore Natalia.

"Where were we before you two started fighting?" Alfred asked before seemingly remembering. "Mattie, what's your owner like?"

"Gilbert's really nice. He thinks everything he does is awesome and he's fairly energetic when he's doing something he likes. He likes visiting his brother though, and he brings Gilbird and me when he does, so I get to see Feliciano. He doesn't keep us in cages to be honest. He has them for if we want to go in them, but he never actually gets us to go in them. Oh and he loves giving me little bits of food when I'm around him while he's eating. I think he favors me over Gilbird sometimes, as weird as that is." Matthew looked to Tino and Lukas, the only two who haven't told us about their owners.

"Um, Berwald is very quiet," Tino started, having finally uncovered his eyes. "And when he speaks it's a bit jumbled and hard to understand. He's actually very nice despite how he looks. He enjoys it when I'm near him, and since I'm so small, he normally lets me jump on his lap while he's watching TV or reading a book. Every few days he also cooks a steak and gives me half." Tino looked over to Lukas, signaling that he had finished speaking.

"Mathias is hyper and definitely likes playing fetch with me, which I hate since he actually expects me to get whatever he throws. He likes axes, which I've found in his bedroom once. He's definitely not a very good cook, since he burns his food a lot, and then he ends up eating a sandwich. I don't want any food he may offer, since he tends to burn it more often than not, so I've been eating some kind of dog food."

I stood up and stretched. "Well this has been fun, but Antonio tends to get up in the middle of the night. He's told me he can't sleep because of nightmares he gets of the past…"

"Yeah, I guess the rest of us should get going as well," Elizabeta agreed, changing.

The rest of us did the same, grabbing our clothes and slipping them on.

"We'll meet again on the first Saturday of next month," Elizabeta told us as she finished buttoning her suit top. "At this same park since everyone is apparently close to it."

Feliciano gave me a hug. "I'll miss you fratello."

I returned the hug before quickly pushing him away. "I'll miss you too," I grumbled. "Be careful while I'm not around."

He smiled. "I will. I promise. Please be careful as well."

I nodded. "I will."

And with that he and I headed in different directions, the others doing so as well a few moments later.

I quickly made my way back home and carefully opened the door when I arrived. Once I was inside, I quietly closed the door, locking it behind me and creeping through the house to Antonio's bedroom. The whole time, I listened for Antonio, to see if he had woken up.

"Mmm, I'm sorry Emma, but it was Abel…I swear I had been drunk."

The guy's talking in his sleep…This isn't the first time I've heard him mention an Emma or Abel.

"You know I don't return your feelings."

I sighed softly, quickly stripping before putting the clothes in the closet where I had found them.

"Abel?"

I froze, turning my head to look at Antonio in the dark. I could see his silhouette sitting up in bed.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I took off out of Antonio's room, changing when I was in the living room. I heard Antonio stumbling around in his room so I quickly ran to my bed, curling in it and pretending I was asleep.

A minute later Antonio had come into the living room and turned on the lamp, looking around. I lifted my head in mock curiosity.

"Did you see anyone in here Basilio?"

I tilted my head to the side.

He walked over to the door, checking the lock. "It's still locked…I could've sworn…But he didn't look like Abel…Maybe I was just imagining things." He let out a sigh, turning off the lamp. "Sorry for waking you up Basilio. Sleep well."

That…was a close fucking call.

I hope this doesn't happen every time I go out.


	4. Heart to Heart

"Sorry Basilio," Antonio apologized a week after I nearly had gotten caught by him. He's been losing sleep more and more each night and in turn eating a bit less. Right now he was petting me while he was watching TV. It was what American's called soccer. "My nightmare from a few days ago is still bothering me…I could've sworn there was someone in my room. But I couldn't see their face and the door was even locked and everything. Am I just seeing things?"

I looked up at him.

He chuckled wearily. "Maybe I need a vacation."

I nudged him with my nose, making him look down at me. Putting aside my pride, I meowed at him, trying to cheer him up a bit.

"You know what Basil? We should go to the park. I'll carry you so you won't have to walk, since I know you prefer relaxing. We can just sit in the park and soak up some sun."

I stared at him, not really wanting to go to the park and watch people walk around…It'd make me jealous that I couldn't walk around like they were, all carefree. No, I had a fifteen minute limit.

I could walk around and enjoy myself for a full fucking fifteen minutes. And then I couldn't even do that to be completely honest.

I need to be somewhere I can change, then I need to put my clothes on, then I need to get wherever I want to go. At that specific point in time I can enjoy what is probably between five and ten minutes of whatever I want to enjoy. Probably more toward the five minute mark, since I need to leave and go somewhere I'm able to change before I automatically change.

I jumped from Antonio's lap and went to my bed, a silent response to his suggestion.

I sure as hell wasn't going to the park.

"Basilio~" Antonio whined.

I just laid my head down, causing him to sigh.

"I guess I'll call Gilly or Franny and see if they want to come over. Maybe I can get some advice on what I thought I saw."

What would Matthew say if he knew I nearly got caught?

Eh, probably just to be more careful or something.

Now if the bitch from hell found out that'd be a whole other story. She'd be laughing, then taunting, then there'd be another fight between us. The last fight thankfully didn't cause me to mess up Antonio's clothes to where he'd notice it when he wore it to clean up the house two days later, but he did notice that my fur was matted a little and had given me a bath.

A god damn fucking bath.

I don't want other people giving me a bath unless I allow them to. The next night I would've preferably given myself a quick sponge bath or something as a human with some towels to get the blood and crap off, but I hadn't gotten that chance. Nope.

Antonio figured 'Oh time for a bath for my cute Basil, who smells strangely like dirt~' and I ended up getting a bath. I felt fairly violated…

"Gilbert is coming over Basilio," Antonio stated, pulling me out of my thoughts…I have a feeling that bastard will do it quite often. "He's bringing Gilleas, Ludwig, and Ban Ban! Isn't that wonderful? We're having company over. I should probably make something for everyone to eat."

And that's what Antonio did for the next half hour until someone knocked at his door.

"Hey Toni! Let us in!"

"It's unlocked!" Antonio called back.

The response was that the door was slammed open.

"I have finally arrived! Things are now awesome!"

"Yeah, I'm here too," Ludwig stated.

I looked over to see that Gilbert was now walking in the door, Matthew resting on his shoulder. Ludwig was a bit more respectful of walking into our home and closed the door behind him with one hand. Feliciano was wide awake in his other arm and looking around in curiosity.

"Fratello!" Feli cheered. His owner, along with the other humans around who heard him, would only hear it as a meow. He jumped from Ludwig's arms and ran to me, tackling me in my own bed, and rubbing his head against my own with content purrs.

"Look at Ban Ban, Luddy! This is why I wanted you to come over…That and you need to get out little bro."

"I have work that needs to be done," Ludwig said with a sigh as Feli settled down to lay down beside me.

"You need a break."

Matthew flew from Gilbert's shoulder to land on the edge of my bed so he could see both Feli and I.

"Awww Gilleas, mein awesome buddy! Why did you leave me?"

"He's just relaxing with his friend," Antonio said from the kitchen. "Didn't you say he got along well with Ban Ban?"

And they just continued talking, me tuning them out.

"What've you been up to since we last saw each other Lovi?" Feli asked me, turning to lay on his back and stare up at the ceiling. He did not know how to act like a cat, even after all this time.

"After fighting with that damn cat Antonio ended up giving me a bath…" I shuddered. "I hope she suffered just as much as me."

"Luddy gives me a bath every week."

"Gilbert forgets sometimes," Matthew admitted. "Until he saw me running the sink and trying to bathe myself when he's in the bathroom taking a bath or shower. So now every night he'll leave the door to the bathroom open when he's taking a shower in case I want to get clean. He always calls me very smart."

"Well you're smarter than an animal you know," I told him, moving in my bed so that I could lay my head on my brother's chest/stomach area…I don't know what the fuck to call it on a cat. His ribs I guess? I'm just gonna go with that since I feel his ribs anyways. "You're a human in an animal's body, so you understand how human things such as sinks and things like that work. And because you were human, you're use to being able to get clean as much as possible."

"I feel like us being this smart will become suspicious," Matthew stated.

"Yeah, I think so too…well for owners like Feli's."

"Luddy's really smart," Feliciano told us. "He's always asking me why I act so strange."

"Our owners though, Matthew, I'm sure won't notice…"

"And then I could've sworn I saw someone run out of my room," I heard Antonio tell Gilbert and Ludwig, causing me to stiffen. I glanced in the direction of the kitchen to see our owners eating what smelled like Paella…I miss fixing that for Feli sometimes.

"Um…Lovino?" Matthew asked cautiously.

"I thought it was Abel at first, you remember how that was Gilbert."

"Yeah, that one time he snuck in and tried to stab you, but ended up with that scar instead when you fought back."

"Did you call the cops?" Ludwig asked, curious. Apparently he hasn't heard the story before. I haven't either, and I'm kinda curious about it. This Abel, I believe, is the source of Antonio's occasional nightmares.

"Toni didn't want to upset Emma," Gilbert told his brother, shaking his head.

"Who's Emma?"

"Emma's Abel's sister, and she's one of my close friends…She had liked me, but I hadn't liked her the same way. Abel doesn't like me, never has and probably never will."

"Do you know why?"

Antonio shook his head. "I think it's because Emma liked me so much."

"That and they both went to a party where Toni had gotten so drunk he couldn't tell the difference between the toilet and the sink…She was a little drunk as well, but knew more than he did…And the next thing Toni remembered was waking up with a naked woman by his side."

"By that point in time I had already figured out I didn't like women like that…So waking up with a woman was strange enough. And when I found out who it was, I felt so horrible. I've tried explaining it to Abel that I didn't even remember that night, and she admitted that she had taken advantage of my drunken state. He refused to listen to us though. And since that day he's been well…"

"A fucker from hell who just wanted to see Antonio either dead or close to death and bleeding at his feet," Albino-freak stated. He apparently wasn't holding back.

Antonio nodded. "Basically what Gil said. Since that night he's tried again a few times, but never really did much more than leaving a bruise or scratch."

"He'd always end up worse off than Antonio though." Gilbert leaned back. "One time I remember seeing him with Emma and his arm had been broken."

"But anyway, seeing that person…Or I thought I had saw someone, reminded me of him," Antonio interrupted. Gilbert made a face, probably from being interrupted. "It's been bothering me the whole week."

"What did they look like?" Ludwig asked, finishing his food.

Antonio tilted his head a bit in thought. "Well they were male, because I definitely didn't see any breasts from the shadows I managed to see…Unless it was a very, very flat-chested woman."

"Could you see any features?" Ludwig asked.

Antonio scratched his chin. "Well they had somewhat short hair that looked a bit messy, and they were very thin."

"I'm not thin," I huffed. "Just very lean."

"How?" Matthew asked.

"He woke up from a nightmare when I was putting his clothes away."

"Ve~ Even I didn't get caught Lovi," Feliciano told me.

"Lucky you," I told him, rolling my eyes.

"What did you do after you saw him?" Gilbert asked.

"I was barely awake and whoever it was had just taken off out of the room."

"Did you follow him?" muscle man Ludwig asked.

"Of course. But I didn't find him. My door was still locked. I even checked the windows the next day and they were also closed."

"Was anything missing?"

"Nothing at all. And Basilio didn't even move or anything to signal that there had been someone in here, which makes me believe I had been seeing things…And I really think I need a vacation."

Ludwig nodded. "That may be best."

"It has been a while since you've taken a few days off," Gilbert agreed. "Maybe we should get a couple of the guys and take a trip to the beach or something."

Antonio nodded. "We can get Francis to come with us. You know how he loves the beach."

"If you do, Jeanne may want to come."

Antonio shrugged. "The more the merrier." He looked at Ludwig. "And you can bring your friend Kiku. And maybe he can bring a friend as well if he wants."

"We'd need to go somewhere pet friendly," Ludwig informed the table's inhabitants before gesturing toward us. "I'm sure most of us have pets. And I wouldn't want to leave them alone while we're relaxing."

"I know Gilleas is coming with us whether anyone likes it or not! He's just too awesome and smart not to come!" He looked over at us. "Come on Gilleas. Come see your awesome pal!"

"That's my cue to go to my owner." Matthew flew over to Gilbert, landing on his shoulder.

"That's my awesome pal." Albino freak used his index finger to rub the top of Matthew's head. Matthew, as any pet would, leaned into the touch.

"Ve~" Feli let out a meow before closing his eyes. I did the same since a nap sounded nice right about now.

It was nice being with my brother again. This actually reminded me of the times that Feli and I slept in the same bed. He'd either have a nightmare or just wanted to 'sleep in the same bed as fratello.' I never minded, though I did put up little fights and complained even though we both knew I meant nothing by it. It always made me feel like I was wanted when he did that though.

Like I was important to someone.

And I was important to someone. I was important to him. Despite being horribly stupid, he did have his moments. He's admitted to me that I was the most important person in his life. I always defended him when it came to bullies, before cowering behind him myself. I made sure to skip work if he was sick so I could take care of him, and hit him for getting sick in the first place when he was better.

Damn bastard shouldn't be getting sick.

I-it made me worried.

"Those two must really be close," I vaguely heard. "I've never seen Basilio that relaxed before. He's normally so tense when others are here."

I'm mostly tense around that little fucking poodle of the damn French bastard, who I found out owns more than one dog…Pierre was a Pomeranian, but stays away from me after I had scratched him. He calls the damn poodle Fleur.

I had bit that bitch.

Oh yes, I bit that bitch good. Not my fault she was getting too close to me for comfort. Just like that French bastard got too close to everyone he's seemingly near for comfort as well…Like owner like pet…Well not for us smart human/pet/whatever-the-fuck-we-were.

We already had our own personalities that we've had for many years.

Such as my own shitty and foul mouthed personality. Yeah, I've been building this personality for twenty-two or so years. I'm so bad-ass with this personality…

Eh whatever.

I'm like this because-

"Can you move Lovi?" Feliciano asked gently. "My back hurts like this. Being a cat is very annoying at times like these."

I opened my eyes and saw Feli looking at me. "I'll figure out a way to get you back to normal as soon as possible." I stood up and allowed my brother to get comfortable before curling around him protectively.

"I know you will fratello. You're very smart." He looked over his shoulder at me. "You're smarter than you think Lovi. Don't let what everyone says get to you."

"I know." I rested my head behind where Feliciano's would be since he was still trying to look over his shoulder at me. He gave that up though since I had put my head down and snuggled his head into the crook of my neck. "But even after all this time I haven't been able to help you."

"It's alright…I know you're trying. I'm trying too, because I want my brother to be happy again."

"It's not your job to help me. I'm the older brother. I should be taking care of you Feli."

"No. Brothers help each other out, no matter what." A purr escaped my brother as he was starting to fall asleep.

"Just go to sleep dumbass." I closed my eyes, relaxing. "Sleep well fratello."

"You too fratello."


	5. French Visits

**If names are not translated up here, they aren't representing a nation (such as Minna)  
Monique (Monaco)**

* * *

"I said I was sorry Basilio."

I sat on the counter, in a corner right next to the fridge. The stupid tomato bastard was trying to apologize to me, but I myself am a bastard.

And a stubborn one at that.

With the attitude of a woman on her period.

See, the thing was…Antonio had done something unforgivable to me.

"I didn't know you were there! I swear I didn't mean to step on your tail."

You don't step on a cat's tail. It hurts like fucking hell!

Antonio reached out to me again and I did the same as I've done the past five times he's tried it. I scratched his hand. His right hand was pretty scratched up by now…That's actually not very nice of me. If he's too injured he won't be able to work…

But…he stepped on my tail!

And I'm a stubborn little fucker.

I'm just gonna go and take a tomato from the little basket and call it even.

"Where're you going Basil?"

He just stood there watching as I nonchalantly walked across his clean counter and over to the tomato bowl. I glanced in and saw a nice ripe one on top that I bit into and pulled out of the basket. It made a mess on my nose and such, but still.

And let's not talk about the counter, which was being stained red.

"Basil~"

I ignored the whining man as I continued eating my fruit….vegetable….thing. Isn't there a debate about these things? Wasn't there also that thing where they said pizza was a vegetable?

Haha dumb ass fuckers nowadays, I swear. They make people like Alfred look smart.

I don't care what they are. I like them and I'm gonna eat them.

"You're a bad gato, making such a mess," Antonio scolded.

Don't care buddy. You stepped on my tail, this is revenge.

When I finally finished off the delicious red goodness, I started licking the counter…I was trying to get the taste off! I definitely wasn't helping to clean my mess!

A hand rubbed my back and I heard a chuckle.

"You act so cold, and yet you're trying to help me. You really aren't a bad kitty, are you? You're way too sweet for that." He rubbed the top of my head before scratching behind my ears. That caused me to start purring…Ugh. "I don't care what Franny or Gil say about you. You're sweet to me and that's what's most important, si?"

I stopped licking the counter and looked up at my owner. He rubbed under my chin with a smile.

I kinda wondered what those two bastards said about me when I wasn't around…but then again I don't give a fuck what they say about me. They're annoying anyways, and anything they say is stupid.

"I can't wait to take you on vacation with me. You and I will look at the beautiful scenery. All you ever see is this building, which you never want to leave. You'll have no excuse since you won't even be at home. You'll have to get some sun with me. You'll be my little suntan buddy." A frown appeared on his face as he seem to stare at the wall. "Franny is either having sex with Jeanne, flirting with someone, being hit by Jeanne, or on a date…And Gil doesn't like to tan. He'll play around on the beach, but he gets sunburned pretty easily. The bad thing about being albino I guess." The frown disappeared when he looked back at me. "But now my little Basil can tan with me. It'll be so much fun."

He really seemed happy to have someone else, animal or otherwise, to spend time with. His friends seemed to not be able to enjoy something he liked.

I'd be a cruel ass motherfucker if I denied him something simple like that. I may be pretty rough, but…But even I'm not that cruel to deny such a simple request from someone who really needs someone in their life.

A purr escaped my lips in an attempt to comfort the Spaniard.

"No need to worry mi Basil~ I'm fine." He must've known I was trying to comfort him…For someone who was normally so dull, especially when it came to his French friend's roaming hands, he seemed to catch on pretty quickly when his cat was trying to comfort him.

"Mon ami!" Speak of the devil. Right after the call through the door, there was a knock.

"Come in Frannie!" Antonio called, picking me up and hugging me to his chest. Maybe it was his way of saying 'thank you' for trying to cheer him up.

"I hope you don't mind, but I brought Jeanne with me," the French bastard said as he walked into my home. His arm was around a beautiful young lady with short, slightly wavy blonde hair -a little shorter than the male beside her- and dark blue eyes. She was wearing a blue tank top under a white jacket, a white skirt, and some white heels.

"Bonjour Antonio," Jeanne greeted as I was put down.

"Hola Jeanne. It's been a while." Jeanne wiggled from Francis's grip and gave Antonio a hug and kiss on the cheek.

She better not forget me.

I let out a loud meow, walking up to her and rubbing against her leg.

"Oh how cute." The French accent definitely fit her better than the French bastard. She bent down and picked me up, snuggling me against her chest. "Francis told me you had gotten a cat, but he never said how cute it was." I let out a purr, rubbing my head against her chest.

Okay let me get this straight.

Yes, I am into men.

Yes, I do love women's boobs.

Yes, I flirt with women.

Yes, I am more respectful to women.

…No, Natalia doesn't count.

"Aww, he likes you~" Antonio cooed. "He never does that with me."

I saw French Bastard try to pet me and I bit his hand, causing him to pull it away from me. He was a semi-smart bastard…

I went back to rubbing my head against her lovely breasts.

They had to be one of my favorite things about women. They were just so soft and squishy. You could definitely nap on those things.

"I think I'm jealous of your cat Toni…"

I glanced over at the French bastard and meowed with a grin. My tail swished from side to side as I commenced with rubbing my head against the squishy pillows that were this woman's breasts.

"Are they really that comfortable?" Antonio, the oblivious bastard, asked. "Basilio never even rubs his head against me like that, and I'm his owner."

"He probably likes women more." I was bounced a little bit, causing the breasts I was against to bounce as well…I swear those things make a gay guy like me want to go straight…

But alas, that wouldn't happen.

I think I like things shoved up my ass a little too much to go for a woman…

Doesn't mean I can't enjoy their boobs though. Too bad Minna never liked me laying on hers too much…

"Maybe we should invite Monique so I can have my Jeanne back," Francis whispered to his friend as I was brought to the sofa. Jeanne sat so that she would be able to lay me on her chest.

I definitely wasn't complaining.

In fact I like this woman a lot more than other women, simply because she's spoiling me with her lovely cushions. Damn those things were fucking heaven.

"You're such a sweetie," the woman with lovely pillows cooed to me. "I don't see why Francis says you're so mean."

I rubbed my head against her chin, causing her to laugh and kiss the top of my head.

I'm mean to him because he's a bastard, simple as that. I don't need another reason to hate him…Though he's also pretty annoying when he, Antonio, and that albino bastard get drunk at Antonio's house. I have to hide under the sofa so that none of them accidentally step or sit on me.

I let out loud purrs, encouraging the woman to pet me again. She ended up giggling, causing her pillows, and me as well, to bounce slightly before she actually pet me again.

"My cat is such a ladies' man," Antonio laughed, finally sitting beside Jeanne. Francis sat on her other side.

"It's because he's so adorable," Jeanne told him, scratching behind my ears. My eyes closed as I enjoyed the feeling. "Just look at that face. He's an irresistible cutie." She stopped petting me, causing me to look at her face. Her eyes were shining. "In fact…" She looked at Antonio. "A few of the girls and I were getting together tonight. Do you mind if I took this adorable little ball of fur with me?"

I looked over at Antonio, who seemed iffy with the thought of me going with someone else.

"I'll bring him back tomorrow, I promise."

"How about this mon chere? Invite the girls to the beach next week with us. This way all of you can play with the pets till your heart's content."

Jeanne gave Frenchy a pout.

"Basil is his cat my sweet," he told her. "He may get lonely without him. This way at the beach you ladies can play with him while he has others around."

Jeanne sighed. "I guess. But I really wanted to take this little sweetie home to cuddle with."

"I'll cuddle with you mon chere."

I laughed before letting out a sneeze, causing the woman I was laying on to giggle. "You won Francis. But I want to hold him while we're at the beach, alright?"

I glanced over at Antonio, who seemed a little upset at that.

…Why?

Oh…That's right. He wanted me to be his sun tanning buddy.

Reluctantly, I got off of my pillows and jumped down to his lap, meowing up at him. I rubbed my head against his hand, which was on one of his legs and he pet me.

"Do you really want to take his little pal away the whole time love?"

Jeanne sighed. "I guess not. But I do want to play with him, alright Antonio?"

He nodded, still petting me. "Alright. At least I'll still have my little sun tanning amigo."

"Aww, they're going to bond at the beach." I looked over to see the human with built in cushions had her hands together in front of her. She looked over at her fellow French person. "Why don't you ever bond with Pierre or Fleur?"

"I bond with them."

"Not like Antonio and his adorable little pet." She grabbed his face in her hand and made him look at me and Antonio. "You'll play with them, but I've never seen you being all sweet to them. It's always me."

"I'm always working, with you, or sleeping. I don't have much extra time besides playing with them to give them some exercise. And you spoil both of them enough for the both of us."

Frenchy…You're digging yourself a grave man…A very deep grave.

"Because you don't spoil either one at all."

I let out a yawn and curled up on Antonio, preferring to watch this fight as I was pet by my owner.

"It's because I try to spoil you."

"I don't want to be spoiled Francis."

"But I _want_ to spoil you."

"I _don't_ want to be spoiled."

I'm kinda hungry…

"Mon chere."

"Don't you start that with me Francis."

I want some gelato.

"I only spoil you because I love you."

She groaned before standing up. "Whatever. I'll see you at the beach Antonio." She grabbed her French bastard by the front of the shirt. "And you're coming with me so we can continue this. You're not getting out of it."

Maybe some tomatoes would be nice too, since I don't think Antonio would give me some gelato.

"Au revoir mon amis! I'll see you at the beach Antoine."

"Adios you two. Don't be too harsh on him Jeanne."

Ciao boobies…I'll miss you and your softness.

They closed the door behind them and I looked up at Antonio.

"Well that was an interesting visit Basilio…"

I stared at Antonio…He needs to invest in some boobs for me to relax on. His lap isn't as soft as boobs…Though I'm sure that ass is.

Too bad he doesn't fall asleep on the couch too often…Maybe next time he falls asleep on the couch I'll sleep on that ass. I can test out its softness…

Maybe try and determine if it's softer than boobs.

I sure do hope so.

I want some built in cushions to sleep on. And since Antonio's my owner, it's his job to provide some for me.

My owner looked at me, tilting his head to the side. "Why're you staring at me?"

I tilted my own head.

He tilted his the opposite way, me copying his movements. "Is there something on my face?"

He wiped at his face, not getting anything since there was nothing on his face. He looked at his hand confused before looking at me again. My tail swished back and forth in anticipation.

"Basil~" he whined, poking my cheek.

I jumped up to his face, licking his cheek and making him laugh. He lifted me up, away from his face, and watched me. My tail went back and forth and I let out a meow.

"Do you want to play mi amigo?"

Another meow.

He chuckled, putting me onto his lap before grabbing my paws and holding them up. The weirdo was making me dance and he was smiling and laughing about it.

Ah well, he's happy, so I guess that works. He's been nice enough to take care of such a foul-tempered kitten, so the least I can do is try to be nice to him.

So, I ended up letting him have his fun in making me dance for a while. When he finally let go, I jumped from his lap and grabbed the toy mouse on the floor before jumping back to him. The mouse was laid on his lap and my eyes were watching him expectantly.

Antonio grabbed its tail and held it to the side, over the sofa. I pounced at it, not reaching it because it was moved out of my reach.

This continued for a few minutes until I got tired and just rested my head in my owner's lap.

"Are you tired Basilio?" I closed my eyes and received a chuckle in return. "I assume that's a yes…I guess I'll watch TV for a bit before going take a shower then. I have to go in early tomorrow since someone reserved the restaurant for the day and wanted breakfast and lunch…Must be pretty rich to reserve the whole place for most of the day."

Why would they reserve it for most of the day? Why not just reserve it the whole day…Think of the restaurant's business you stupid rich bastard. Doing something like that can cause them to lose profits.

God damn rich bastards only think of themselves…

Even Feli and I aren't that spoiled. We were raised with maids, nannies, everything we ever wanted. And yet we understood better than anyone else how to save money…

Maybe it was a good thing Feliciano and I didn't want to use the money from home. We worked for what we wanted. If we didn't have the money, we didn't get it. Simple as that. We never got those stupid credit cards that some places offered and bought stuff with money we didn't have. We weren't that stupid…Though I had to explain it to Feli a few times before he understood….I knew I at least wasn't that stupid, and I taught Feliciano enough so that he wouldn't be that stupid.

…Though he's still pretty stupid…

I won't even lie about that.


	6. Vacation Time

**Heracles (Greece), Sadiq (Turkey), Kiku (Japan), Eva (Lichtenstein), Vash (Switzerland), Wang (China), Li (Hong Kong)**  
**Apologies if you read Bella anywhere…If you see Bella, its supposed to be Emma…I think I've corrected them…I don't even know how her name changed like that.**

* * *

"I just love the beach, don't you Basilio?" Antonio asked me. He had just driven to Jeanne's fairly big beach house and he was holding me in one arm as he walked to the house. He had his bag in his other hand, holding his clothes, a few of my toys, some of my food, and my bowls.

He was currently in a white, open, button down shirt and some red swimming trunks. He also had on a pair of red rimmed sunglasses that matched my own.

Yes, he actually got a pair of sunglasses for me to wear…

And yes, I was actually wearing them.

I was admiring myself in the reflection of the window on the way here…Until Antonio lowered the windows to let the air rush through the car.

I definitely felt badass the whole way here and enjoyed it.

My owner walked through the open door of the fairly noisy house.

"Fratello!"

I looked down, seeing Feli on the floor. He put his paws on Antonio's leg, causing him to laugh.

"Play with your friend Basilio." He set me on the floor and Feliciano tackled me to the ground happily.

"You look so cool with those sunglasses."

I shoved my brother off of me and stood up, puffing up my fur proudly. "I do, don't I?"

"Yep. Oh! Come on! You have to meet Heracles and Eva!"

I followed my brother. "Heracles and Eva?"

"There were others cursed like us, can you believe it?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently they were also cursed in a magic shop, searching for Halloween things, like all of us had been."

"Heracles sounds really familiar to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"From where?"

"I think right before I got out of school."

Hearing Heracles made me think of Sadiq, my older ex. I definitely don't want to remember that relationship. It was hell and I was glad when I finally got away from that bastard.

The only good thing about this whole curse is that he can't find me now.

"Hey Lovino," Matthew greeted from his spot on one of the chairs in the living room. The uncursed people (Antonio and Francis, who I assume was waiting for Antonio) walked through the room, dodging all of the animals that had decided to stay in here. The animals that weren't hybrids were following their masters or playing with one another. Us hybrids stayed in one spot, relaxing on the couch or chairs.

I actually jumped up to a brown recliner, Feliciano following me and laying down immediately. Instinctively I curled up beside him.

"Your sunglasses are lovely," Elizabeta told me, sitting on the coffee table.

"Thanks. So, these other hybrids?"

"Oh this is Heracles." Elizabeta motioned with her wing at a brown cat on the couch. He had some kinda weird curl on the top of his head, like a double curl of sorts, and was currently busy sleeping. "He was found by Kiku and is his pet. Kiku's dog Pochi is around here somewhere, probably kidnapped by Jeanne, but he's just a normal dog."

"This is Eva," Matthew introduced. He motioned with his head to a small bird, the same size and color as him, sitting beside him. She had a little purple ribbon wrapped loosely around her neck and light blue eyes. "She's Vash's pet. He's around here somewhere. He's friends with Roderich. He had found her hiding in some flowers."

"I'm Lovino," I told the tiny yellow bird. "I'm this idiot's brother." I motioned with my head at my brother, who was relaxing contentedly. "My owner is that Spanish bastard who's somewhere around here…He'll have the same kinda sunglasses as me." I looked around the room, seeing that the only hybrids were Eva, Heracles, Elizabeta, Matthew, Feliciano, and I. "None of the others came?"

"No, but having met Heracles and Eva, I'm sort of wondering how many of us are out there," Elizabeta told me.

"Vash brings me with him to work sometimes. I've met a dog I could understand who went by the name Wang. He said he had been taken in by someone called Li."

"Okay seriously, where the fuck is everyone coming from?" I asked, letting out a loud meow. "Did everyone just congregate to America or something?"

"Well they have a different way of living than most of our cultures Lovino," Elizabeta explained. "There's people from many cultures all over America."

"Well it just seems pretty crowded with all these different cultures in one place."

"Where is your cat Antonio!" I heard a familiar female ask from farther in the house.

"I don't know Jeanne!"

There was a commotion as Jeanne searched the house for me.

"So apparently Jeanne has a fascination with me," I told everyone with a sigh.

"There you are my petite love." Ah, she found me.

I was picked up from my spot and hugged against some barely clothed boobs. Yeah, I like the idea of this whole vacation thing. And the fact that I was chosen before my brother.

It's weird being the wanted one.

Feli, seeing that I was no longer by his side, meowed up at me.

"Aww, you want attention too Ban Ban?" She picked him up in her other arm. Now each of us was being squished against a boob.

"I kinda like this spot fratello," I admitted to my brother.

"Me too~" he agreed before letting out a content meow.

We both snuggled up against the boobs as we were carried.

"Francis, I got two of them now!"

"Who's pet did you kidnap my love?"

"Ban Ban! And I'm bringing him and Basilio with me down to the beach! The girls should be here soon too, so just show them their rooms." She carried us out her backdoor, which she kicked open, and ran down to the beach.

Needless to say my brother and I hung to the boobs for dear life…Those things were bouncing too much to be of much help, but still…

She set us down when she reached the edge of the water, my cool sunglasses at risk of falling off my face. It was okay though, because Jeanne thought they were 'adorable' and helped me fix them back in place.

She then set about making a sandcastle, asking for help from us.

We couldn't exactly do much but push sand around with our noses and paws…There were no complaints though. The woman cooed at us and giggled when we tried helping. And when we weren't helping, we ended up wrestling in the sand, causing Jeanne to continually fix my sunglasses.

"Jeanne! We're here!"

Feli and I stopped fighting to look up at the new female voice. It was that woman who had come in to buy Natalia with that scary guy.

Oh my fucking god…

Ahahahaha!

She was running toward us, said little cat nearly lost between the breasts of her owner.

Fuck fuck! Ahahaha! I can't fucking breath! This is just too rich! Too fucking great!

"Fratello?"

"Haha serves that bitch right!" I told my brother between laughs.

"What?"

The woman stopped in front of Jeanne, setting Natalia down before sitting on the ground. This woman had blue eyes and short blonde hair with a blue headband on top. She also had some clips crossing on her bangs. Like I said though…those boobs…They were huge. And that blue and green striped bikini left very _very_ little to the imagination.

"Emma's just putting away her things right now in her room."

"Is Ivan here too?" Jeanne asked, tilting her head.

"No, Abel brought us here."

Abel? Emma?

Oh shit!

I took off back toward the house.

"Basilio!" Jeanne called.

I ignored her, running through the open backdoor and into the house, sliding in the kitchen and crashing into a chair.

"I want you to stay away from my sister," I heard.

"Come on, you know it wasn't his fault," Gilbert defended. "He was drunk."

I found who I was looking for in the living room, the hybrids in the back of the room and away from any potential fighting. Francis, in a blue Speedo, and Gilbert, in black and white swimming trunks, standing between Antonio and a tall guy with spiked up short brown hair and amber eyes. He had a verticle scar above his right eye, on his forehead. The guy was wearing a white muscle shirt and blue swimming trunks.

This guy must be Abel.

"I won't touch Emma, I swear," Antonio told him, holding up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

I hissed up at Abel, my fur standing on end, causing him to look down at me. "What's this cat hissing at me for?"

"Basilio, calm down, come here," Antonio told me, bending down. "Leave him alone."

"This is your cat?" He bent down and picked me up by the scruff of my neck. I hissed more, trying to scratch at his face, sadly missing because I was just too far and my limbs weren't long enough.

"Oh isn't that the most adorable little kitty~" a feminine voice cooed, causing all of the males in the room to turn.

In the doorway stood a young woman with short and wavy hair- which seems to be a trend amongst the women at this place…All of them have _short_, _blonde_ hair!- and green eyes. Her hair was held back by a purple ribbon to match her purple bikini top and mini skirt. She walked over, grabbing me out of the tall freak's hands, cuddling me to her chest. I actually lost my face between her breasts for a few moments…

I almost suffocated there…But alas, they were soft and she's a pretty woman, so all is forgiven.

"Come on guys, let's go to the beach with Jeanne and Sofia~" I was squished against the soft, yet I'm beginning to believe deadly, cushions.

"Emma, I think you're suffocating my cat," Antonio told the woman holding me.

"Oh sorry!" she apologized. "Wait, this adorable little ball of fur is yours? Aww~ That's so adorable!"

"He use to have some sunglasses, but I'm not sure where they disappeared to."

Aw damn…I wonder where they went…I actually liked those things.

I wiggled in Emma's grip, causing her to let me down so I could search for my sunglasses, which I found in the kitchen near that chair I ran into and brought back to the living room and to Antonio. I sat by his feet, holding the sunglasses in my mouth until he actually got the hint and fixed them for me.

"You guys are so cute~" Emma cooed.

"If you're all done in here, Jeanne and Sofia are waiting for all of us on the beach," Ludwig stated, coming in from the backrooms. He wore some black swimming trunks. A blackhaired, dark eyed male -in white shorts and a white muscle shirt- came in behind him. The one behind him was that guy who took in Elizabeta, Roderich I think she called him. He wore dark blue swimming trunks and a closed matching button down.

"Yeah, let's just all enjoy the weekend," Albino agreed. "Gilleas, come on mein awesome buddy. We're going to the beach." Matthew flew over to his owner without question.

"Don't you ever worry that he'll just fly away?" Roderich said with a sigh as a guy came into the room behind him. I can only assume the rooms were back there, since that's where everyone was coming from.

This new guy had straight blond hair that reached his chin and fairly light green eyes. He wore dark green swimming trunks and an open light green button down shirt.

"No." Albino freak rose an eyebrow, looking at Roderich. "I've brought him outside many times. He just relaxes near me or one of his friends."

"Let's go Basilio," Antonio told me, picking me up and trying to walk out of the room. Abel hit his shoulder as he passed, causing him to stumble and almost drop me. I hissed at the bastard before relaxing in Antonio's arms again. "We'll just get a nice tan in the sun. You won't have to worry about him bothering us."

"Fratello!" Feliciano cried, running over to Antonio and I, nearly causing him to trip as he weaved through my owner's legs. "She scares me!"

"Who?" I asked as I was put down again. I stayed by Antonio's side though, knowing he was still a bit down because of that Abel bastard.

"Natalia! She was being mean and saying scary things!"

"Just ignore the bitch and come tan with Antonio and I or something."

"Ooh, that sounds fun!"

So we ended up doing just that. Antonio found a spot a little bit away from the others and laid on his stomach, his shirt on the ground under him, watching Jeanne playing with Sofia in the water. Natalia was trying to help Sofia in getting as much water as possible on Jeanne.

I let out a little cat yawn before crawling on Antonio's back and curling up on his ass, trying to get comfortable. Admittedly his ass was pretty soft, probably just as soft as breasts. And if I laid here, there wouldn't be a cat shaped mark on his back.

Feliciano curled up near his arms and dozed off.

From the sounds Antonio was making and the way he was breathing, he had also dozed off, fairly quickly if I may say so. One can only hope he remembered sun screen…Otherwise he'd be pretty crispy later.

I guess it's fallen on my shoulders to wake him up and make sure he turns so his back isn't burned to a crisp. That also means I can't fall asleep like the two idiots.

Can cats get sunburned as well?

They probably do, but just take a bit longer because of the longer fur…

I guess I'll wake up Feliciano when I wake up Antonio, so that both of them can turn.

When the hell did I turn into their babysitters? Ugh, whatever. They're both idiots and need someone to take care of them anyways; it might as well be someone smarter than them.

Someone who didn't fall asleep in the sun in the middle of the summer…

I watched as everyone just played in the sand, generally enjoying themselves.

Elizabeta and Eva had stayed inside, probably because of their owners, though the rest were out and about. The actual animals were also running around as well, playing with the others in the water.

The only ones out of the water now were Sofia and Emma, who were building a sandcastle around Natalia, who was acting like she was a queen. Jeanne and Frenchy the bastard from France were gone, though with my cat hearing I immediately knew where they were…

And felt horrible for Elizabeta and Eva staying inside.

Though I have a feeling I'll be feeling bad for the rest of us later as well…If they end up in their room just from both being outside for a few minutes, I'd hate to see how it is if they're inside…

"Hey Lovino," Matthew greeted, landing on the sand near Antonio.

"Hey…Your albino master noticed you're gone yet?"

"Not yet. He'll probably be going inside soon though, because he's going to start getting a headache from this sun and not wearing sunglasses. So he might notice then."

"He's gonna have to deal with the freaky French bastard and his girlfriend, because they're inside fucking right now."

Matthew winced at my word choice. "Do you have to say it like that?"

"Well it's true."

"I know, but still…"

"I know…Hey, do you trust that Abel guy?"

I saw the little canary look toward the guy, who was now helping his sister and her friend make their tall castle around the now sleeping Natalia.

"He seems pretty nice, except when he was around your owner, why?"

My eyes narrowed at the male in the sand. "I don't trust him. Especially since, if you remember what our owners said, he kept trying to get at Antonio…I just think he's going to try something while we're here."

"What're you going to do?"

"I don't know. But Antonio is taking care of me. I can't exactly let that guy hurt him."

"You care for him, don't you?"

I groaned. "Since you're the only one who'll hear it, I guess I can say this…He treats me human, like I'm a friend. Even when I scratch at him or bite him, he doesn't really get too mad at me. It's definitely a good change. He makes me feel like the human I was, like how I should be treated…I dunno how to describe it…And I'm probably not making any sense."

"No, I kind of understand what you mean. Gilbert treats me the same. He acts like I'm just one of his friends. It makes me miss being human."

"We need to end this curse…"

"But do you really want it to end?"

"What do you mean?"

Matthew ruffled his feathers a bit before getting comfortable again. "Well, before all this I was barely ever noticed -even Alfred forgot me sometimes- and in turn I didn't have many friends. Now I'm friends with all of you, and Gilbert always notices me."

"Even when the curse is broken we'll still be friends, you should know that."

"But will I still be noticed? You guys notice me because we've all been cursed…But will others notice me? Or will I go back to being unnoticeable?"

I started thinking…

Would people still like me?

I'm a little fucker.

I won't even lie about that…

Most people didn't like me because of my attitude. I was always bitchy and pushed most people away from me. As a cat…I still did the same thing, but I was liked a bit more because I was a cat. And I also made friends with the others who were cursed.

"I…honestly don't know which I prefer to be honest…"

* * *

"Do you really think he'll try something?" Matthew whispered. The humans may not be able to understand us because we were animals currently, but we still made noise they would hear.

It was only he, I, and Feli in the hallway right now. Feliciano wanted to know what we were up to, so Matthew explained what we had been talking about. The others had beds and such set up in the living room, so that's where they and the other animals were.

"I'm not sure…But I'm not taking any chances."

I heard a door open and glanced up, seeing that my thoughts had indeed been on the right track. That tall freak was leaving his room. He passed right by Antonio's door, either not noticing us or just ignoring us.

"Maybe he's just going get some water or something," Matthew suggested as I followed him to the kitchen.

He dug around in some of the drawers. "Because you search for water in drawers in the kitchen." He pulled out a knife. "And water involves knives."

He headed back in the direction of the rooms, but I quickly came up behind him, changing into my human form.

"Don't touch him you god damned bastard!" I jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. He hit the side coffee table, causing it to tip over and Eva's cage to fall from it and wake up her up. She let out loud noises in fear. The other animals, the non hybrids, started making noise as well while the hybrids scattered to avoid being hit in the fight.

There was barking from a few dogs and a cat or two meowing. I never bothered to really keep track of the animals that I couldn't understand.

I struggled with the man under me for a moment, hearing the thumping as everyone was beginning to wake up from the noise. Abel turned and managed to knock me off and sent me crashing against the sofa, my shoulder hitting it at an uncomfortable angle. Something moved out of place as I hit it and I let out a small scream of pain.

I saw Abel getting up, causing me to get up as well and run to the front door, unlocking it and slamming it open before running outside. Quickly taking a right, I changed and hid in some bushes, waiting for Abel to pass me. When he did, I limped back into the house, seeing most of the people in the house were awake and the lights in the living room were on.

"What happened in here?" Jeanne asked, holding onto Francis's arm. Vash, who I knew from people saying his name through the day, was picking up Eva's cage, getting her out to check on her.

The living room was a mess from me knocking Abel into the coffee table and him knocking me into the sofa. There was scratch marks from things sliding across the floor in our short fight, and I was just happy that Jeanne didn't get a glass coffee table.

I let out a meow, limping over to Antonio.

"Are you okay fratello?" Feliciano asked, running to my side as I sat on the floor near the sofa. I licked at my injury, wincing before letting out another meow.

"Are you alright my little Basilio?" Antonio asked, kneeling down. "Come over here."

I stood up and limped over to him, Feliciano by my side.

"He's hurt Toni," Emma told him as he reached out and picked me up, being careful of my injury. My brother stayed sitting by Antonio's feet, watching me.

"Where's your brother Emma?" Sofia asked, looking around.

"Someone was in here Jeanne," the missing person stated, coming back into the room. He had a cut that was bleeding on his upper left arm, probably from when he hit the coffee table. Bastard deserved it too. "He attacked me in the living room."

You were trying to attack my owner in his sleep bastard.

"Did you find them?" Emma asked, looking around. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt." She looked over at me then her brother. "You and little Basilio were already hurt enough."

"Did you see any features that could help us figure out who it might've been?" Roderich asked.

"I just know it was a male from when he jumped me from behind. I definitely didn't feel breasts and felt a dick. He was smaller than me as well. It was too dark to see much. I think he got hurt, since I did hear him scream when I knocked him off of me."

"That fucker dislocated my fucking arm!" I screamed. Sadly everyone else heard it as a very loud meow, but it did get their attention on me.

"He must've landed on the poor guy," Jeanne stated, coming up to me and petting me. Her hand hit my shoulder, causing me to screech and hiss. She looked at where she touched before looking over her shoulder at her boyfriend. "It looks like his arm is dislocated. We have to take care of him. He must be in pain."

"Eva, are you doing okay over there?" I asked, looking over at her and ignoring everyone talking around me. She was resting on her owner's shoulder, her cage on the floor beside him. "I heard the cage fall over when I hit the coffee table."

"I'm fine. I was just scared."

"Sorry about that, but he was going after Antonio with that knife…I couldn't just let him."

"I understand, it's alright."

All of a sudden there was a harsh pain in my shoulder and I had to stop the very strong urge to change where I was. I did lash out though, catching someone's hand.

"Ah, it moves," a French voice said, causing me to look at Antonio's friend. His hand was currently host to scratch marks from my claws. "That means it indeed isn't broken, and was just dislocated. I suggest keeping an eye on him Antoine, so he doesn't walk on it too much." It fucking hurts when you pull a dislocated bone back in place…Damn Frenchman…Fucker….

"Was that a wise thing to do?" Kiku asked. "What if his arm had been broken? You could've made it worse."

"This isn't the first time I've seen a dislocated bone. It looks a bit different than a broken bone. I wouldn't have tried if it even looked close to broken."

"Maybe he should sleep with us tonight," Emma told Sofia, the later nodding her head.

"We can keep an eye on him and make sure he stays off his paw."

Hmm…Boobs…

Wouldn't that hurt me though? They'd probably squish me and my poor arm/shoulder/whatever the fuck had gotten hurt.

"How about we let him stay with his amigo, si?" Antonio asked, holding me close to him. "I'd liked to keep an eye on him…I feel so bad that my little Basilio got hurt and I'm afraid of him getting hurt again."

"Aww~" all three girls in the room cooed.

"It may be safest for our pets if we keep them in our room," Roderich stated, picking up Elizabeta's cage.

"Already on it," the Albino freak stated before looking at his shoulder. "Wait, where is mein buddy?"

"I'm guessing he finally noticed you weren't with him?" I asked with a yawn.

Matthew flew to Antonio's shoulder, causing me to look up at him. "I didn't think everyone would wake up and I'd be able to get into the room without him knowing I was gone. It was hard enough as it was getting out of the room."

"Maybe that intruder kidnapped him!"

"Um Gilbert?"

"You changed to get out?"

"Yeah. I was afraid Gilbird would wake up."

"We have to call the police!"

"Your owner is pretty stupid."

"He's just concerned."

"I miss you mein buddy!"

"Gilbert!"

"He's still an idiot."

"Gilleasbuig!"

"Gilbert shut up!"

"What Antonio! What is so important that you're not thinking of mein buddy!"

"He's sitting on my shoulder…I think talking to Basilio."

"So, he finally noticed you weren't missing…"

"I guess." He let out a tweet, probably wanting to sigh.

"I'm unsure if Antonio or Gilbert is stupider."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I thought we were friends."

"I tried to. He flew to my shoulder and started tweeting when you were looking for him."

It got quiet as Gilbert tried figuring out what to say to that.

"I say it again…Your owner is an idiot Matthew."

"Yeah…I know…"


	7. Spat

"Wake up mi amigo," I heard, stirring me from my sleep.

I stretched, only to let out a little yelp.

"Be careful Basilio."

I opened my eyes to see a shirtless Antonio leaning up on his arm beside me, moving the fur on my injured shoulder.

"It doesn't look like there was really any serious injury. I'll carry you around today, so that you don't aggravate it though."

He got out of bed, walking around the room to get his clothes, since he was only in his boxers. In the middle of the night, after the whole incident, he had gotten hot and stripped down to his boxers, tossing his shirt and shorts on a chair under the window.

I just watched him from my position on his bed.

Before he fell asleep last night, he had pet me and talked to me about how worried he was when he saw that I had gotten injured, and how he was sure Abel had something to do with it. He had no idea how right he was with that.

"Come on Basilio, let's go to the kitchen and I'll cut a tomato up for you." He walked over to me, picking me up carefully. I was brought to the kitchen and set on the table, where I immediately laid down. There was no need to put so much pressure on my shoulder, so I was going to avoid any pressure to it as much as possible.

Antonio started cutting up a tomato as the German monkey who took care of my brother walked in, said brother walking behind him.

"You're already awake?" Monkey Man asked Antonio.

"Yep, and I figured I'd make my little Basil a snack so he wouldn't have to get up to eat." A plate was set in front of me and Antonio pet my head. I let out a purr and leaned into his touch. "I figured it was the least I could do after last night."

"I was thinking about that actually." Both humans sat at the table and my younger brother jumped to a chair then onto the table to sit by my side.

"Don't think you're getting any," I told him, glancing at him. "These are mine."

"Fratello~" he whined.

"Fine." I grabbed a little chunk in my mouth and set it in front of my brother, who ate it up immediately.

"What were you thinking about?" Antonio asked with a chuckle, having apparently watched Feliciano and me.

"It may just be coincidence…But you remember how you said you saw that person, right?"

"Si."

"And then last night someone broke in…Maybe they're connected in some way?"

"How?"

"Both were male for one."

"Most people who break in are men to be fair Ludwig."

"I know, but there's that possibility it may be the same person."

"A very small possibility."

"Yes, I know, but it's something to consider…Maybe it's someone after one of us. Or maybe he's after you…I'm not sure…I'm just saying you may want to keep an eye out and be careful for a while."

"I've never made anyone mad though…Besides Abel. Who would want to hurt me?"

"I don't know, but I suggest you take a few precautions, just to be sure. Make sure your door and windows are locked."

"I always do…And Jeanne, Francis, and you all checked the doors here last night. Gilbert even checked the windows if you remember…The door hadn't even been damaged."

"That is true. I checked, and the only damage to it was that it had hit the wall…"

"So does that mean that whoever it was came from inside?"

"Possibly."

"It couldn't have been one of us though. Everyone came from the bedrooms."

"Except Abel and Basilio. The only proof of anyone being here last night was Abel's words. I don't want to say anything without facts and proof to back them up, but can we really trust what he said?"

"Uh…"

"Exactly…Keep an eye out…on Basilio as well. He was hurt once. I wouldn't put it past him being hurt again."

"They're thinking too hard about this," I told Feliciano, finishing off my last tomato.

If those guys thought too hard, maybe they'd figure out the truth about their animals. That'd be bad for us…They may not want us after that and we'd be stuck on the streets again. I'll be damned if I have to beg for food again so that the others could eat.

I let out a meow to distract the two men sitting at the table, and hit my dish with my paw.

"You're already done mi Basil? You're so greedy." Antonio leaned down and rubbed his nose against mine. "Do you want to play in the sand today? You'll have to be careful though."

"I wouldn't suggest it," Feli's owner stated, petting my brother. "If he had any kind of cut, it may become infected if sand got into it. I'd suggest him staying inside, at least today."

"Fuck this. I want to be human so I can go outside," I told Feli.

Feli turned his head to look at me. "Fratello, you can't."

"Why? I might be seen? I'm perfectly human for fifteen fucking minutes." I let out a sigh. "This handicap shit with my shoulder is annoying me." I shook my head, shaking off Antonio's hand. When it was moved I stood, shaking my fur before limping to the end of the table.

"You might hurt yourself Lovi."

"Don't really care." I jumped down from the table, losing my balance as I hit the ground and tripping. Feliciano jumped down to my side, watching me get back to my feet.

"Are you alright mi Basilio?" Antonio asked. "You shouldn't be on your feet right now." He reached down to me, causing me to hiss at him. It surprised him I did that…I rarely did it much to him anymore…Though I still did hiss at him when I was annoyed at him.

"Fratello, he's trying to help you," Feli tried to reason.

"No, I want to go outside, and fuck anyone if they try to stop me."

"No. I don't want you hurt."

I tried walking, only for Feliciano bite my tail and pull back with all his strength. Surprisingly enough, my brother was pretty strong, but I was stubborn and turned around, swiping at him with my paw, aggravating my shoulder. "I will do what I want Feliciano."

"I'll stop you fratello."

"And how're you going to do that?"

"Elizabeta!" he called loudly. To the humans, it'd be a loud meow…He was going to wake up the whole house.

"Shut up!" I hissed, glaring at him.

"Matthew!"

"Shut up!" I hissed again, creeping up to him with a limp.

"Eva-"

"Fuck Feliciano!" I jumped on him, biting his ear and causing him to let out a pained yelp.

"Basilio!"

"Bannruod!"

"You need to relax Lovi! You'll hurt yourself worse!" He bit into my injured shoulder, causing me to let out my own yelp.

"I fucking hate this! It reminds me of my fucked up last relationship!" I pushed my brother to the side. "I was so fucking helpless and if it weren't for you I would've killed my self!"

"Fratello…"

"I only managed to get away from the fucker because of this curse." I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry…Cry until there were no tears left in me.

I was so fucking useless.

"You're not useless Lovi."

I curled into a ball, hiding my face beneath my tail. I felt Feliciano nudge me with his nose.

"I am too. I'm so fucking useless. We're still animals after all this time. I even get injured trying to protect my fucking owner."

"Even police get hurt Lovi." I felt my brother curl around me, like I so often curled around him when we were together in these forms. "People who protect others get hurt, so that the ones they protect don't get hurt. And it takes a while to do some things, like cure us of this curse…Remember what Grandpa use to say? Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Because he wasn't the one to build it," I quoted, letting out a sigh.

"Please don't be mad. Luddy was just trying to make sure you wouldn't feel worse by getting an infection…"

"It's not just him…It's everything."

I hadn't been able to let anything out for the past few years, even before this curse…It had finally caught up with me. This actually wasn't all of it either.

"I'm sorry for hurting you." I uncurled from my spot and moved so I could lick my brother's ear, the one I had bitten.

"I guess you were right," I heard as Feliciano purred. It was his owner that was speaking.

"I told you…If you pulled them apart in the middle, it may've become worse…"

"Ugh, what's with all the noise?" Standing at the door of the kitchen was Matthew's albino freak of an owner, Matthew barely awake on his shoulder.

"Sorry bruder, didn't mean to wake you."

"Sorry Gil, Ban Ban and Basil had a little fight."

Freaky Albino stopped mid stretch and looked down at my brother and I. "Those two? I thought they were all buddy buddy."

"Even people who are close get in arguments sometimes," Macho Man Blondie told his brother. "You and I do on occasions."

"Are you two alright?" Matthew asked, waking up a bit more and stretching his wings out.

"I'm fine fratello," Feliciano told me, before shaking his head. I stopped licking his ear, only for him to lick my injured shoulder.

"We're fine Matthew," I answered the little canary.

He flew down to the floor to be closer to us. "You guys don't look so well…Did it really get that bad?" Our owners ended up starting another conversation.

"Just a little spat between brothers."

"Fratello just needed to let things out," Feli interrupted, pausing in his licking. "He didn't really mean to hurt me. And I didn't want him to be hurt worse…But I hurt his shoulder in the process. I'm sorry Lovi."

"It's alright." I rubbed my head against his. "I just want us to be normal again…So we can do what we want, when we want to, and not have to be afraid of being seen changing or anything." My tongue flicked out to lick the top of Feliciano's head. "We're eating pet food…It's just…We don't deserve this."

"I know fratello." Feli's ears were flat against the top of his head, enjoying being licked. "But we can enjoy this until then, right?"

"I guess."

"To be honest, I think this experience is good for us," Matthew admitted.

"How's that?" I stopped licking my brother's head to look at the tiny bird beside us. Feli took advantage of that and laid his head down, closing his eyes.

"Well, to be honest, I think you've calmed down a bit since the beginning of all this. You were much more violent in the beginning."

That was because of my last relationship. I could hide it easily enough from my brother, friends, and work…But when I was alone I'd be so stressed…I could barely breathe sometimes.

And when we were cursed, there was no time I could actually let any stress out since I was always with someone, so I'd take my anger out on others…It still didn't help much though, since I really couldn't let _everything_ out. In the end, I was taking my anger out on people who were trying to help me. But not so much anymore.

I didn't have to worry about my crazy ass ex finding me like this, I knew my brother was healthy and safe, and I made a few friends. It calmed me down after a while.

That anger was still being pent up, growing bigger and bigger, but I didn't lash out as much on anyone anymore. Well…I didn't lash out at my friends at least. When I finally do let _everything_ out, it'll be hell for the one receiving it.

"We're going get some groceries for tonight's meal, would you like anything Antonio?"

I glanced up, seeing that more people had woken up. The only ones not in the kitchen were Abel, Jeanne, and the French Fucker.

"Tomatoes?" he asked. "I'd like to make paella tonight and I don't think I'll have enough to make some for everyone."

"Alright," Roderich answered, having been the one to ask Antonio the question. "Kiku, Emma, Sofia, and I are going to go get everything then."

"Take Abel with you," Gilbert told him. "No offence, but I'd think you guys should have some kinda muscle with you, just in case…Especially with what happened last night."

"I agree with Gilbert-san," Kiku said, walking to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. "It'd be best for us to have someone there in case whoever was here last night was after one of us."

"From what Abel said the intruder was smaller than him, so Abel would be a decent choice," Roderich concluded. "We at least know that Abel can handle himself against this mysterious man."

"I'll go get my brother." Emma left the room to go wake up her bastard of a brother.

"Hello little Basilio," Sofia greeted, kneeling down next to my brother, Matthew, and I. She pet each of us in turn. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

"He got into a little fight with his amigo," Antonio told her.

Her eyes widened and she looked over Feli and I. "Was it really bad? It looks like they only have minor injuries."

"They each got a bite in and made up after," the blonde wall of German meat told her.

"Maybe it was a little disagreement?" she suggested. "And the injuries were their way of getting their points across? They probably weren't really mad at each other. You guys say that they're close, so it's possible it was just a little disagreement. Probably nothing serious, since they're so calm right now."

Wow, these boobs are smart…And so is the woman they're attached too…I swear these women and their boobs…They're beginning to make me reconsider things…

Alas…I still like things shoved up my ass…Maybe a male with boobs?

Nah, too disturbing. I think I'll stick to someone with a nice ass instead. This way I get the softness that is equivalent to breasts and a nice dick too.

Maybe…

What the fuck am I thinking about at a time like this?

Hell what the fuck am I thinking about at all?

I swear someone snuck something into my tomato.

"Why was I told to get dressed this early?" Abel (the Fucker) asked, walking into the room fully dressed.

"We're going get some groceries," Sofia told him, standing up. Those boobs…Seriously, how does she not get a black eye with those things? They bounce at the slightest movements. She should really consider a different bra, preferably one that holds those things better. If not, those things will sag…

Ugh…

I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth.

Those huge things sagging?

They'd touch the fucking floor!

"And I'm needed for…"

"In case whoever broke in last night is after one of us," Kiku explained.

"We need muscle," Emma told him with a smile. "Someone who we know can hold their own against this guy. And you've been voted to come with us Abel."

"As long as the dick isn't coming, I'm fine."

Antonio let out a sigh and I hissed at Abel.

"Be nice." Emma lightly hit her brother on the shoulder.

"We'll watch your pets while you're gone," Ludwig told them.

"Thank you," Sofia told him before giving him a hug. His cheeks were pink. I blame the boobs. "We'll be back later guys. Kaliya should still be sleeping right now. She's such an angel."

"More like a she-devil from hell," I grumbled as the boobs left.

"I guess we'll just relax inside for the day," Albino stated, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back.

"You need to stay inside since you stayed out too long yesterday," Albino's freak of a brother told him.

"The headache was gone after some medicine."

"But the sunburn wasn't," Antonio said with a little laugh. "Sorry Gil, but you burn too easily."

"Not everyone can tan like you," he said with a huff.

"My Basil can~" My owner leaned down and pet me. "He even woke me up so that I could turn around…Even Ban Ban didn't mind tanning with me."

"I had wondered where he had gone to," Ludwig said, moving so he could glance down at my brother. "By the time I figured it out, he was on his back and getting a tan beside you and Basilio…"

"Basil kept an eye on you the whole time by the way," Gilbert told my owner. "No matter what time I looked, he was awake and keeping an eye around you."

Wow, you're such a creeper you albino freak…You were watching me keep an eye on my owner and brother.

"I have such a nice cat~"

"I must admit, Basilio is very protective of you," wall of meat stated.

"And Ban Ban," his brother added.

Ludwig nodded. "Any time we're around I keep seeing Bannruod near Basilio, and Basilio is almost always somewhere where he can watch you."

"What is with that wall of meat of an owner?" I asked Feliciano. "Why does he always over think things and observe things?"

"I dunno."

"He might figure out the truth about us, that we're not normal animals." I looked at Matthew. "What will we do if that happens?"

"Well, we can run," he answered. "But I don't think we'd have to if they accept it."

"That's what worries me…Will they accept it?"


	8. Finding Lovino?

**AN: I know people hate ANs so I'll keep this short. I have a poll up for Hetalia Fairy Tale stories. If you'd like me to get to a specific one first, just click them. The voting will affect which ones I get to faster. Sorry for advertising...I know people hate it. This will be the only time I'll do it though.**

* * *

"Uno!" Antonio cheered, holding his one card up with a grin. I was sitting by Antonio's side with Feli curled by me. The card Antonio held was a blue six.

"You won't win…One of us will get you," French Fucker warned his friend before putting down a blue three.

"How long are the others going to be?" Jeanne asked, putting down a green three.

"I change it to red and you have to pick up four cards Toni," Albino Fucker said with a grin. Antonio groaned and picked up the cards.

"They've been gone for a while," German meat brick said, sitting beside his brother. "It's already past lunch time."

"Quick, get in Kiku!"

I looked up from watching the humans playing Uno to see the others rushing in.

"What's wrong?" Jeanne asked. "Are you guys okay?"

"It's alright," Emma cooed as she and Kiku, who was paler than normal, came into the living room. I could see the others putting groceries down in the kitchen. Emma's arm was around Kiku's shoulders though, which was more important. What was wrong? "I don't think he followed us. Don't worry."

Heracles let out a meow and got up from his spot in the corner of the room to try to comfort his owner.

"Is everything okay?" Ludwig asked.

"Well, it seems like Kiku has had a stalker," Emma informed him, leading Kiku over to the sofa. Antonio moved closer to Feli and me so she and Kiku could sit down. Heracles jumped into his master's lap. "And while we were shopping he saw Kiku…"

"You should've just told Abel to threaten him," Francis told him.

"He's almost as tall as Abel," Sofia said, coming into the living room. There were tears in her eyes. "He was scary. And he threatened Abel when they came face to face."

"The last person he followed around went missing," Kiku informed, shaking a bit. "I don't really remember his name…But Sadiq doesn't give up."

Sadiq?

Really?

Fuck!

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

"Fuck!" I hissed before jumping over Antonio's lap and onto Kiku's with Heracles. Pochi was at Kiku's feet, looking up at his owner and probably wondering what was wrong. "Heracles…"

"Yes?" He looked away from his owner's worried face into my own.

"You and I really can't sleep tonight. Sadiq _will_ come. If he has his sights on Kiku, Kiku will need all the protection he can get…And I mean all of it. I'm going to change tonight, so I'm grabbing some clothes…I suggest you do the same."

"Do you…know this man? The one that worries Kiku?"

"Yeah…He's abusive…And he does what he wants to get what he wants. And apparently now that I'm out of the picture, its Kiku…I'll change that though."

"You…"

"I may be a bastard, but I'm not heartless. I'll need you to cover for me though, and to help me out. The only way to get his attention is for him to see me again and know that I'm not dead or anything. This way he'll be after me again and Kiku will be off the hook."

"Thank you Lovino…"

"It's no problem…Just make sure you help me, otherwise things might turn to the worse. We'll probably need everyone else to help as well."

* * *

"Are you prepared for this?" Elizabeta asked.

All of us had snuck out of our rooms, extra clothes on hand.

"Yeah…Are you guys?" I looked around the room, seeing the other hybrids all nodding their heads. "You know our owners will probably see us, and we all will have to run." There's also a high chance I'll end up injured by the end of this…No need to tell everyone though. My brother would be worried and wouldn't let me go through with it.

"We can easily come back in in our animal forms though," Matthew told me, touching me with his wing for a moment. "And we can bring in the clothes tomorrow night."

"You're the only one at risk," Natalia stated. Despite the fact she and I hated each other, she was still worried that the plan would go wrong and I'd end up getting seriously hurt. "If anything goes wrong you could be hurt."

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before," I told her, jumping up to sit on the window sill. I was keeping an eye out for Sadiq.

"Fratello, you never told me about him…What's wrong with him?"

"Um…he was my ex…He's very abusive and possessive and was one of the main reasons I was so harsh right after our curse began. I thought I was finally done with him. Guess I'm not."

"Thank you again for risking everything to help Kiku," Heracles told me. "He's so kind and fragile…I couldn't stand to see him hurt."

I saw a dark figure across the street, coming in the direction of the house. I jumped down from the sill, changing and pulling the pants I had taken on. "It's the least I can do. Everyone get ready." Everyone changed and began pulling their clothes on. "Eva, I suggest you and Matthew try to avoid him if he has any kind of weapon. And keep track of the time and warn us so we can get out of here. We only have fifteen minutes from the moment we changed."

There was the sound of someone messing with a lock…Sadiq still knew how to pick a lock, how lovely.

"It's now or never," I whispered. "Good luck and if I don't see you guys after this, be careful."

"You'll be fine," Eva assured me, touching my arm.

I smiled at the young girl with blonde hair, much like her owners. She had taken her ribbon off, so it wouldn't choke her when she changed. "I can only hope."

The door was opened and I heard the person stumble around a bit, causing me to push the others a bit behind me. It'd be me he'd go for as soon as he saw me. No need for the others to get hurt in the process. They were just to keep our owners back and be reinforcements if necessary, and they were only human because we couldn't risk them having to change to help.

A tall man walked into the room, and without even seeing him, I remember how he looked. He had short brown hair with a curl at the base of his hairline, one that looked a bit like Heracles's, and brown eyes. He probably still had that stubble on his face as well.

When he passed by us, I pulled his right arm, kicking behind his knees to make him fall to his knees.

"Don't you fucking dare touch Kiku you bastard."

"That voice…You're not dead," Sadiq said, turning his head to try and see me in the dark.

"Not yet." I pushed his back with my foot, still holding his arm.

"You're not strong enough to stop me Lovino…You never were." He pulled his arm and kicked me in the chest, causing me to stumble and hit the coffee table…The one I had knocked Abel into.

Fuck did it hurt!

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Elizabeta shouted as the noise started back up in the house since everyone was waking up again. She punched at his stomach, but he grabbed her fist and pushed her into the wall.

I winced as I tried getting back up, my chest in pain from the kick and my back hurting from hitting the corner of the coffee table. I felt the blood running down my spine.

"Get the hell out!" Natalia kicked at his legs causing him to jump with a chuckle before kicking her side and knocking her into Elizabeta, who was almost standing again. Feliciano jumped onto his back, but he pulled him off and threw him at Matthew and Eva, who thankfully caught him before he hit the window.

"You fucking bas-" Sadiq covered my mouth with his hand, pushing me into the floor.

"You still look the same, writhing beneath me."

There was a female scream as apparently Jeanne saw us. "Francis!"

I kicked Sadiq in the stomach, causing him to stumble as I got up. "Matthew, watch them. Don't let him get to Kiku."

"I've found you Lovino, no need for Kiku anymore."

"Shut up you damn fucker!"

"I'm sorry, but please stay back Kiku," Heracles said, standing by the hall. From the corner of my eye I saw that he, Matthew, and Eva were blocking the others from getting into the room. They were trying their hardest too, making sure not even Abel or Ludwig got through.

We were doing this so they didn't get hurt.

I winced, trying to head to the door so Sadiq would follow me, but my back was killing me. One could only hope the blood that had already reached the pants I wore wouldn't stain…but that was a wasted hope. These pants would have to be thrown away without giving anything away.

"Natalia!" I called. "Stall!"

"Don't give orders!" she screeched at me, jumping at Sadiq as I continued to make my way to the front door.

"You're not getting away from me!"

I heard a thud as Natalia was pushed away and I was pushed roughly to the ground.

"Lovino three minutes!" Eva called to me as the others tried getting their bearings.

"Fucking shit!" I kicked back, getting Sadiq's leg. Feli kicked him in the spine then the side, getting him off of me. "Get the fuck out everyone!" I had to use the wall as support to stand up.

Everyone started for the door, Feli wanting to wait for me.

"Get the fuck out Feli!"

"Frat-"

"Now god damn it!" I stumbled, having to lean against the wall to try to get away.

My arm was grabbed from behind and I kicked at my brother, getting him to run outside, and hide in the bushes or to change then come back in and help.

Suddenly the arm was gone and Sadiq was pushed away from me.

I quickly glanced behind me to see that Ludwig and Gilbert had gotten to Sadiq now that they weren't being held back by strangers.

"Are you alright?" Antonio asked me, trying to help me stand without the wall.

I pushed his outstretched hand away. "Thanks. Just keep an eye on Kiku for me. He should be fine since Sadiq knows I'm still around."

"Who are you?"

"No one important." I took off out of the house, trying to keep my bearings as I stumbled to the side of the house and changed in a bush. Changing caused my back to hurt much worse than it previously had.

Fuck, I must've made it worse by changing.

"You barely made it," Elizabeta told me, having apparently been in a bush near mine with the others.

I made sure the clothes was hidden in the bush well enough that I could throw it away tomorrow night. Antonio wouldn't miss a pair of pants. If he does, I'm sure he'll just think one of the others borrowed it or something.

"Lovino, where the fuck did you go?" Sadiq shouted, running off in search of me…Or away from the house in case the police were coming. I don't give a shit, as long as he was gone.

"Fucking bastard," I growled, limping out of the bush. My back was fucking killing me. My chest still did hurt, but the main pain came from my back.

"Where did Gilleas go?" I heard before just laying in the yard. My back hurt so much. Hell it hurt…I don't want to move at all. Fuck everyone if they think about making me go anywhere.

"Actually, where did most of the animals go?" Emma asked. "Ban Ban and Basil are gone too."

"Rina and Delmi as well," Roderich stated.

"Kou as well," I heard Kiku add in.

"My little Kaliya is gone too," Sofia cried.

"Matthew, you and Eva weren't injured…Go inside and try to get someone out here," Elizabeta instructed before flying over to me. "Don't move too much Lovino."

"Not like I can do much else…"

"Gilleas, there you are. I missed y-what's the matter buddy?"

I could hear some frantic tweeting, from both Matthew and Eva, as they tried getting attention.

"Are you hurt bad fratello?" Feli nudged the side of my head.

"Bastard hit me into the corner of the coffee table. My spine fucking hurts."

"Okay okay, I'm following you Gilleas. You coming Franny?

"Oui."

"They're coming!" Matthew called as Eva flew up to me.

She nudged my head with her own tiny one.

"Hey, we found them!" Gilbert called back in the direction of the house, running over to us with Francis by his side.

I took a deep breath and let out a little whine. What in the world did I hit back there? It hurts like a motherfucker. "Oh shit, what happened to Basilio?" He bent down and pet my back, making me hiss. "Oh fuck, Francis, he's bleeding. Antonio's going to flip his shit when he finds out."

"How bad is it?" Francis asked as Gilbert picked me up. I let out a little hiss.

"Well, one thing's for sure, there better be a vet open right now…If not, Antonio's probably going to go on a killing spree. Just…get the animals inside…We'll get Ludwig to call around and see if anything is open right now."

The others obediently went in the direction of the house, of which I noticed Natalia had a slight limp as she walked ahead of us.

"Are they all okay?" Antonio asked. "Last time Basilio got hurt."

"Um, well…"

"What happened?" Emma asked.

Gilbert walked through the door and around the corner. "You really do have a protective pet Toni…He goes through a lot to protect you and your friends…"

"Oh my," Jeanne whispered. "Gilbert, your shirt…"

"Ludwig, do you mind calling around to see if there's any vets open?" Francis asked.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," Antonio growled as Gilbert walked over to the couch, which Jeanne was covering with a blanket.

Feli jumped up and waited until I was set down to lay by my side.

"That young man had the same voice as the one who attacked me last night," Abel stated. "The one that man seemed hooked on."

Antonio sat by me, on the side my brother wasn't on, and pet my head. "I'm sorry you got hurt again Basilio."

Stupid…I got hurt so your friend didn't. This is nothing compared to what Kiku would've been going through had I done nothing for him…

"This probably wouldn't hurt so much if I were human," I grumbled.

Elizabeta landed on the upturned coffee table. "I'm sure it wouldn't, but it wouldn't help if you had to get stitches in that form. What would happen when you'd change again?"

"It'd hurt like a motherfucker when I changed," I answered.

"And it wouldn't heal right…You'll have to be taken care of in this form…"

I let out a sigh. "Fuck."

Ludwig came into the room, sighing. "I'm sorry Antonio, but no vets nearby are open…It'd be too much on Basilio to go to the next town over or farther just for a vet, so I suggest we take care of him the best we can."

Antonio nodded and stood up, heading to the kitchen.

"I wonder who those people were," Roderich stated.

"Can't you search for them Kiku?" Vash asked, sitting in a chair near the sofa. Eva landed on his knee, getting comfortable. "It's not like any of us can go back to sleep after tonight."

"Yeah, we really need to thank them for protecting you from Sadiq," Jeanne added.

I wanted to snort at that. Good luck at finding them.

"Let me get my laptop." Kiku disappeared from the room, Heracles and Pochi following him.

"Then I can find out who's ass I have to kick for picking a fight with me last night," Abel stated. "Why the hell was he even here last night?"

He was here because you were trying to murder his owner in his sleep…And he just wasn't gonna have that shit. No fucking way.

Kiku came into the room, sitting on the sofa beside my brother. Heracles jumped up onto the couch to sit beside him, since his laptop was in his lap, watching the screen.

"What do we have to go by?" Sofia asked. She and Emma were sitting on the floor near the TV and leaning against each other, worried probably that Sadiq would return. Abel walked over and the girls moved so he could be in the middle and they could lean against him instead.

"Well, Sadiq called him Lovino…We can start with that."

"Possibly with one that went missing," Antonio added, returning with a wet towel. He gently rubbed my fur, and I felt it was a warm/wet towel. "Sadiq said he didn't need Kiku now that he had Lovino…And according to Kiku, he's basically a very obsessive stalker…I don't think he'd lose track of someone unless they actually went missing."

Wow, Antonio's smarter than I give him credit for.

"Alright…" Kiku started typing things into the laptop.

"We'll get insight to your past," Natalia told me, walking over to Sofia and crawling into her lap. Both Emma and Sofia took to petting her.

"I can't exactly stop them."

"Are you really okay with strangers looking up information on you?" Elizabeta asked.

"I'd prefer them not knowing anything…but like I said, I can't stop them. If I tried, I'd reveal what we are and we'd be on the streets again." I don't want to have to hunt for food for my brother again.

"There was a Lovino Vargas that use to live near here actually," Kiku interrupted our conversation. "He along with quite a few others, his younger brother included, disappeared on Halloween a few years ago. Apparently Lovino's friend had stayed in touch with him for a while after, but never knew his location. He just suddenly stopped showing up for work though and was never seen in public by his friend or co-workers."

"Where did he work?" Gilbert asked, leaning over the back of the sofa.

"Him and Feliciano Vargas, both Italians, worked in that Italian restaurant that shut down because someone threatened the staff and scared them all off. They couldn't get enough staff because they feared being threatened again."

Veneziano was closed? That sucks…Maybe one day if this curse is ever broken, Feli and I can use our Grandfather's money he left us to reopen it. I should seriously talk to Feliciano about that. He'd love the idea. That place was like another home for him.

"Anything else?" Francis asked, pulling me from my thoughts. He had settled himself in a comfortable chair, with Jeanne in his lap.

"Apparently his parents are both dead, and his grandfather passed away within the past few years, before his disappearance."

Antonio had finally stopped rubbing my fur with the towel and had folded it, setting it on my wound, probably trying to make it act as a little heating patch. He got up and left the room after setting it on my back though. I wonder why.

"Come on, anything else?" Gilbert asked. "You're a hacker. I know you can find out more about him. He apparently isn't dead if he's the same Lovino that was in here not even an hour ago."

"Give me a moment…It takes a while to get into some files."

"Fratello, they're reading stuff about us," Feli whined.

"What do you want me to do about it?" I asked. "If you haven't noticed, I can barely move, let alone stop them from reading about _my_ life." Antonio came back in the room with a slightly bigger towel and replaced the towel on my back with it. This one was also warm and wet.

That's what he was doing. He was going get a replacement towel.

"Are you fine with it?"

"It's not like they'll ever meet me in person to be completely honest. Let them do what the fuck they want. I've lived it; it's not like its any worse hearing any of it."

"Alright I found some police reports," Kiku interrupted.

"He's been in trouble with the law?" Roderich asked.

"Actually, they were reports from other people, mostly co-workers and his friends. Apparently before he graduated from school and even after, they began going to the police, claiming he was suffering from sexual, physical, and possibly even mental abuse. He continually denied all claims."

"And let me guess, Sadiq was suspected?" Francis asked.

"Yes. They started dating in Lovino's last year of high school, and broke up a few months after his graduation according to his friend. The reports still kept coming though, and he continued denying claims. There were points where he couldn't come in for work and he'd return a day or two later with a limp, broken bone, or another injury. And right before they broke up co-workers found him locked in stalls in the bathroom, throwing up. The throwing up stopped after their breakup, but then he started taking pills. His boss ended up having a co-worker keep an eye on him at work for a few weeks until he finally stopped. The bruising and such continued throughout it all though."

Those weren't fun days. I'd prefer not to remember those days.

"So, he was still getting at Lovino after they broke up?" Gilbert asked.

Kiku nodded. "There were even some claims of him being stalked."

"Is that why you never wanted me to be anywhere alone?"

I looked away from my brother. "He knew you were living with me. I don't know if he knew we were brothers though. I'm not sure if he grasped the concept of the word 'fratello' or not…He didn't like that we lived together…"

No need to let anyone know how often I protected my brother from him…Or that just those police reports weren't even remotely close to a fourth of the amount of times I suffered that abuse.

And I had stopped at work but home was different…I only stopped because I realized Feliciano still needed me.

He had caught me in the bathroom one day, overdosing on sleeping pills. It took hours to calm him down and reassure him I was fine and that I'd never leave him alone. I had promised him I would never overdose on pills or try to kill myself again.

My younger brother had actually saved me, for which I'm forever grateful to him.

"Why did he deny all claims?" Vash asked, petting Eva's head with his index finger.

"It doesn't say."

"Maybe he was being threatened?" Jeanne suggested. "I've seen on some of my shows that victims refuse to do anything about their predicament because of some sort of threats."

"You and your shows Love," Francis told her with a chuckle.

"What confuses me is that he finally had Sadiq off his back and came back to get him off of Kiku's," Antonio said. He moved the towel on my back away for a moment, probably to check my wound, before setting it back in place. "He broke into your summer house Jeanne, just to catch him off guard…If it hadn't been for him and his friends, tonight may've ended up a lot worse." He pet the top of my head. "Maybe Basilio would've been worse off than he is now. Can you find an address Kiku?"

"He has a home in Italy, but he hasn't been to it since his disappearance…I could find his friend though, the one that kept in contact with him for a little while after."

"We'll contact them tomorrow, since they're sure to be asleep at the moment," Vash stated.

"Nosy ass people," I grumbled. "I'll change tomorrow and let them thank me." I'd rather them not bother Minna.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Elizabeta asked.

"But your back," Eva reminded me in a quiet voice. She flew from Vash and over to my side, on Feli's back, to rub her head against my side. "You could make it worse."

"I'll be fine…" I just need to get them off of my back.


	9. My Name is Lovino

I woke with a start, never realizing I had even fallen asleep last night. Apparently everyone had stayed in the living room as well, and were all currently asleep. Eva and Elizabeta had even stayed out of their cages through the night. Matthew never slept in his cage anyway, so that wasn't different.

A yawn escaped my mouth and I moved a bit to get more comfortable, before letting out a little yelp. Apparently that was enough to wake up Eva though.

"Are you alright Lovino?" she asked, looking up to my face. She had apparently at some point squeezed between my brother and I. I was fine with it. She was so sweet, so she probably felt at ease being near someone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just aggravated my injury." I moved my head to lick the top of her tiny head. "Sleep well?"

"Ah yes, I'm sorry for being so close…You fell asleep last night and I didn't think you'd mind if I curled up between you and Feliciano. He said he didn't mind and was cleaning my feathers a bit."

"Yeah, he does that."

"Mmm."

I looked over to where Matthew was making little noises, obviously beginning to wake up. He had fallen asleep on Gilbert's knee, the latter of which had fallen asleep against his brother against the wall. They were still in view of the sofa, but they were the closest to the kitchen.

"Are you awake Matthew?" I asked, careful not to speak too loud and wake up everyone.

"Lovino?" He shook his feathers out and blinked a few times before looking over to me. "You're awake so early?"

I glanced outside, seeing it was still dark. "Yeah, I think now might be the best time to make my appearance known. Sadiq wouldn't be awake and keeping an eye out for me over here yet. Eva, would you and Matthew accompany me?"

"Us?" Eva asked. "But-"

"I'll need someone to bandage me quickly while the other knocks on the door to wake everyone up. And if I wake up Feliciano to help, you know he'll spazz…He rarely listens."

"I'll go get some bandages from the bathroom," Matthew told us, flying off to the bathroom.

"Good luck Lovino. I'll be keeping track of the time as soon as I hear a knock."

I jumped a little and looked over at the coffee table, where Elizabeta was still resting. Her eyes were open and watching me.

"Thank you. I shouldn't be gone too long after I leave. Just make sure you distract everyone long enough for us to get back in without it being suspicious."

"I'm sure Feli can do that pretty well." She let out a tiny tweet, probably of laughter.

Matthew came back into the room, some loose bandages in his beak.

"Let's go Eva. Oh and can you lock the door behind us Elizabeta?"

She nodded her affirmative to me.

Eva wiggled out from between my brother and I and flew off after Matthew. I stood with a little difficulty and carefully jumped off the sofa before maneuvering my way through the people in the room and to the kitchen. Matthew had changed, unlocked, and opened the door; he was currently back in his tiny bird form and sitting by the doorframe with Eva. I bounded after her and with a quick glance behind me saw Elizabeta's naked form closing the door and then hearing the near silent lock.

"Alright, let's go get the clothes then we can change right here," I told the other two.

They nodded and did as I suggested. Matthew and I would only be in some loose fitting jeans and Eva would be wearing a loose t-shirt and pants…The clothes we wore last night.

"Only fifteen minutes," I told them before changing. They did the same, Matthew knocking immediately after he was dressed. Eva started bandaging my wound, after she and I were dressed, by wrapping the bandage around my torso.

"Coming!" someone called. I could no longer hear the noise I'd normally hear as a cat, but I knew the others were waking up. Matthew_ had_ knocked loud enough, as opposed to his normally quiet voice.

"There," Eva said, touching my back as the door opened.

"It's too early," the albino freak said, rubbing his eyes.

"I apologize," Matthew said.

"I just wanted to check in with Kiku," I told the man, rolling my eyes.

Gilbert opened his eyes and actually looked at who was standing before him. "Oh you're that Lovino guy from last night! Come in. You two as well. I'm sure Kiku wants to thank you."

Matthew nodded as I gently grabbed Eva's elbow and pulled her into the house. I saw that the others were just barely waking up.

"Are you alright Kiku?" I asked the young male, who started at hearing his voice. He looked behind the sofa at me, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Ah yes. Thank you very much for helping last night."

"Not a problem. I knew that fucking bastard would try something like that." Eva winced at the cursing, causing me to apologize to her.

My brother recognized me, causing him to jump from the sofa and walk around my legs, probably wondering why I was human and awake so early.

"I have a question," Francis asked, having woken up. Jeanne was also awake in his lap. "Why did you help Kiku?"

"I know what that fucker can do. No offence, but look at Kiku here. He'd be broken."

"How do you know my name?" Kiku asked.

I couldn't answer that. Fuck.

"He's been hearing Sadiq talking about a Kiku," Matthew interrupted in his quiet voice.

I wanted to smile and tell him thank you…I'd do that later.

"He was worried," Eva added, giving me a smile. "So he decided to ambush him."

"Where have you been for the past few years?" Antonio asked, waking up from the sounds of the talking around him. "We heard that you disappeared a while back, with no traces to where you went."

"Just somewhere," I answered, putting my hands in my pockets. "What the fuck does it matter? It's not like any of you know me. I just wanted to make sure that Sadiq kept his fucking hands away from people weaker than him."

"That apparently didn't stop his hands from you," Ludwig stated. Ever the moron.

"What were you people doing? Searching fucking police reports on me?" I saw the guilty looks on their faces. Good. Maybe they'll give up with me now. "They were false fucking reports. My brother is a klutz, and he'd always do something I'd have to fix, getting hurt in the process. He broke the sink, when I went to fix it, the pipes busted and nearly scarred my fucking leg. He caused a fire, and I burned myself trying to put it out. Broken window on the second floor and he tried helping me, causing me to fall off my ladder. Everyone assumed it was Sadiq because of how fucking sick in the head he is. He's a stalker, obsessive, possessive…Anything you can think of. But all injuries I ever had weren't from him. He may've been capable of it, but I never let him touch me in any way I didn't want." That's a lie. It's an absolute fucking lie…Feliciano knows it is too… I never fixed anything in our home. I called someone else to do it. "We broke up because he wouldn't stop fucking texting me, calling me, wanting to know where I was, going to my job every day for lunch. He's a fucking stalker and a creeper. But he can do bad things to fragile people. That's why I was worried about Kiku. I broke into some unknown house with my friends so we could get his attention on me once again. I can handle the fucker, so I have no problem with that." I growled down at Feliciano. "Fucking cat. I can't bend down to pet you. Damn, stop being so demanding."

"Lovino, that's not nice," Eva scolded gently, bending down and picking up Feli, who licked me on the cheek when he was high enough.

Elizabeta let out a few tweets, spreading her wings as though trying to balance herself.

"We have to go guys," I told Matthew and Eva, who both nodded. Eva put down Feli, who whined. I just hope she gave us longer than two minutes.

"Can't you stay longer?" Antonio asked, standing up. "I wanted to thank you. My cat seems to like protecting people, and I'm sure he would've been hurt worse if you and your friends hadn't been there."

"Sorry I couldn't help him more," I said quickly, urging Eva and Matthew out. "He's a stubborn little bastard…Reminds me of myself. I have to go now. My brother is expecting me."

"But-"

I glanced at him. "Oh, and make sure you feed him and his brother gelato. They love it. Just don't let his brother eat too much…He's a glutton. Ciao." I took off out of the house, quickly rushing to the bushes before I was forced to change.

I laid where I was in the foliage for a moment, my back hurting again. It didn't hurt as much as last night though…Maybe that warm towel helped.

"Are you alright?" Matthew asked me.

I nodded my head before standing and shaking my head a bit to get the grass and dirt from it. "I may've even gotten some gelato out of this."

I walked back in the direction of the door, hearing some loud meows and tweets. Feliciano and Elizabeta were singing two different songs.

Haha, that's one way to distract everyone.

Matthew, Eva, and I snuck in while everyone was busy listening to them and talking. I nudged the door closed with my nose then stood on my hind paws, painfully, and shut the door. When I finished, I made my way back into the living room.

Abel, Sofia, and Emma had stayed fast asleep in their corner. Well at least I didn't have to worry about the bastard asking me why I was in the house night before last.

"Lovi!" Feli called, jumping from his spot on Jeanne's lap. She had indeed still been on her boyfriend's lap. She probably couldn't find me and decided to kidnap my brother instead…Ah well. "What was that fratello?"

I stretched, stopping when I felt some pain. "They were getting too personal. I think that'll get them off our back for a while…And we may've gotten some gelato out of it."

"I haven't had gelato in forever," he said.

"Exactly why I tried to get us some." I walked over to the sofa and jumped back up on it.

"Basilio, where've you been?" Antonio asked, looking over at me.

I let out a little yawn and crawled in his lap, causing him to chuckle.

"Well at least you're back to normal."

"So, do you think he knew Ban Ban and Basil or something?" Gilbert asked his Spanish friend.

"Do we have any gelato to try it out?"

"I think I do," Jeanne said, getting up from her boyfriend-who she had just been sucking face with- and revealing his boner…

See, this is why I hate French people.

"Ooh, I wanna see if she has any!" Feli shouted, chasing after her.

"Don't run you moron!" I shouted, getting up from Antonio's lap and jumping from the sofa. I froze for a second trying to get the pain to go away before walking after my brother…

No way in hell would I run…My back would hate me forever if I did that.

"Basilio you shouldn't be running around with your back injured!"

I ignored him in favor of following my brother to the kitchen, where Jeanne was opening her freezer. She looked down at Feli and I, an eyebrow raised. "Do you two like strawberry?"

"That's my favorite one~" Feli cheered, putting his front paws on her leg. I stood by his side, looking up at her.

She giggled. "Alright you two, go in the living room then. I'll bring some."

I grabbed Feli's tail to tug him away from the French woman and we headed back to the living room, where we sat on the floor by the sofa. The humans and hybrids just watched us-minus the three who could seemingly sleep through a storm- while we waited for our snack.

Well Natalia glared at me and I glared back.

"Do you think we should wake those three up?" Vash asked, pointing out that three of the occupants in the room were still fast asleep.

"Nah, let them sleep," Antonio said, probably not wanting Abel awake.

I rubbed against his leg a little, my silent way of telling him I'd protect him. He reached down and pet my head.

That didn't last long though because Jeanne came into the room with two small bowls. She set them on the floor near each other and I swore that Feliciano almost missed his with how fast he went after it. I took a little longer to get to my bowl, not wanting to face plant the frozen treat.

"They do like gelato alright," Jeanne stated, petting me on the head since my brother was literally almost devouring his without even stopping to breath. "So Lovino was right."

"Do you think he use to own them or something?" Antonio asked, looking down at us. I looked up at him and let out a meow. That meow was cut off when Feliciano came after my bowl of gelato. I put my paw in his face and ate my gelato faster.

"I want some fratello!"

"It's mine!" I told him through mouthfuls of the frozen goodness.

"Well Ban Ban is a pig," Gilbert stated. "He got that right."

"So, if he's right about everything else, then those two are brothers," Ludwig observed.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

And your prize is a face full of 'I don't give a fuck!' now in violent flavors!

"Well it'd make sense then," the albino stated. "The woman did say that Basil was protective of Ban Ban."

"So it's possible he's the older brother," Antonio figured out.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

And we hand out another 'I don't give a fuck!' prize! Yours will be grape flavored though…Cause I'm nice…

And everyone hates grape.

Heh…

"Stop that!" I growled, pushing Feliciano away and digging into my bowl while he tried to stand up again.

"I want some though!" he whined, pouncing on me and licking my face.

"You're a pig!" I growled through the pain.

I'd feel horrible if Feli knew he was hurting me. He'd be devastated.

"This is good," I heard, causing me and Feli to look up. There was laughing in the room as well.

Matthew was the one who had spoken, but wasn't the only one at the bowl. He, Eva, Elizabeta, Heracles, and even Natalia were at the bowl. When the hell did Heracles wake up? And where in the world had he been fucking hiding?

"Hey!" I shouted. "You fuckers!"

"You don't need it," Natalia told me with a huff. Her chest was puffed out. I heard that the humans were all just talking about something I didn't really give a shit about. I think it had something to do with work.

"You fucking bitch, just wait till I get you!"

I started struggling against Feliciano, who was now trying to make sure I didn't murder the stupid cat.

"Please calm down Lovino," Eva cooed. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Yeah Lovino," Natalia mocked, licking her muzzle. "You'll hurt yourself, just for some silly snack."

"Please don't antagonize him," Matthew tried reasoning.

"He deserves his little ego to be brought down," she countered back. "So shut up."

"Hey! He's just trying to help! Don't tell him to shut up!"

"Why the hell are you protecting him? All I did was tell him to shut his yap!" She knocked Feli off of me and started trying to bite my skin. I did the same back.

"He's nicer than a fucker like you!" I pushed the bitch off of me and bit at her paw. "And you fucking hit my brother!"

"I'm fine fratello," Feli told me, trying to calm me down.

"She could've hurt you." I backed away from Natalia, wanting to change to continue kicking her ass. I arched my back, something I've come into the habit of doing right before I changed.

Elizabeta let out a very loud screech that even shut the humans up. "You two stop that right now!"

"No!"

"You go to your owner right now Natalia!" she screeched back at the cat.

I let out a laugh. "Bitch."

"And you Lovino are no better! To the kitchen." I opened my mouth to protest. "Now! Feliciano, go with him and lick his wounds. You're lucky you're not bleeding out onto the floor from aggravating your injury."

I hissed at her, only to get a glare and cower back, going to the kitchen. Feliciano was by my side.

"So, I'm thinking Rina has authority over the animals," I heard Gilbert point out.

"Hmm, what happened?" I heard Emma ask.

Apparently she was waking up, meaning the other two should be waking up soon.

"I think she may…I've never seen Basilio cower from anyone."

"Are you okay Lovi?" Feli asked me. We both sat under the table where my brother immediately started licking my back.

"Yeah I'm fine…Did she hurt you when she pushed you?"

"No. I'm fine. Are you okay? She didn't bite you, but your back must hurt."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." I curled up on the floor. "Just take a nap with me. I'll be better after."

Feliciano curled up around me. "Sleep well fratello."

"Yeah. You as well."


	10. Why I Did It

"Bye Jeanne," Antonio called to the others, me sitting by his side in the doorway.

"Have a safe trip back home!" Jeanne called from farther in the house. I believe she was taking a bath since I could also hear water splashing near her.

"We'll meet you at the usual spot in a few days," Gilbert told his Spanish friend. He had Gilbird and Matthew on his shoulders, each on their own. Gilbird had the left while Matthew occupied the right.

"Try to take it easy for right now," Matthew told me. "You don't want to open the wound on your back again. And I'll keep an eye on Feliciano for you." Feli and his owner had left this morning. Actually the only ones left were Gilbert and Antonio, and both were leaving now.

"Call if anyone suspicious is here before you leave Jeanne!" Gilbert called. "Franny would flip his lid if anything happened to you!"

"Alright! I'll be going back home after I finish my bath!"

"We're gonna lock the door behind us just in case though!"

"Kay!"

"Come on Basilio," Antonio urged. I followed him to his car and jumped into the passenger seat when he opened the door for me. This was done by jumping to the floor first then the seat. I still had an injury after all. When he was sure I was comfortable on my seat, Antonio put our things on the floor of the car.

Once he was done with that he closed the door-as is smart unless you want the door knocked off when you drive- and went around to his side so he could get in and start his car up.

I never did really say what kinda car Antonio had…The main reason is because I lack the skills to be able to tell the difference between vehicles…I know a good one from a crappy one though. Antonio had a decent one. It was a nice red color, not too bright and not too dark. And shiny. He must wash it often.

I wonder what happened to my car. It was probably taken by the bank or something after we stopped making payments. I miss that little blue car…

Even though Feli scratched it against a fence once.

I had even bought it with my own hard earned cash. Seriously, you'd think Feli would be nicer and not scratch up the car.

Ignoring my thoughts on my car, it was quiet most of the way home.

And by quiet I really do mean quiet.

No, I'm dead serious.

Antonio wasn't even singing to the radio…Mainly because he didn't even turn it on. He just seemed troubled about something. Maybe he has a boner and it's troubling him?

Nope. No boner. Those jeans are pretty nice though…Mmm~

Wait! No! Think about why he could be troubled, not with your dick. You're a crappy friend Lovino. No really, just fucking crappy.

Okay, what could be troubling Antonio?

Abel? Nah, Antonio's dealt with him longer than just these past few days.

Driving? No, he drives all the time and he's normally happy when he sees me.

The sky? Nope, it's nice.

I'm thinking those jeans are too tight. Cutting off circulation and making him uncomfortable. Yeah, maybe he should unbutton them so his crotch could breathe.

No!

Fuck Lovino! When was the last time you were laid…Oh wait…never mind…

Ugh, now I'm definitely turned off…I swear some things can just make my libido just disappear…Ah well. At least Antonio couldn't tell how horny I was.

Advantage to being a cat!

Anyway, back to the topic.

Maybe it was what happened during this trip? That may be it, but what from the trip would make him like this?

Is it me getting hurt? Or is it the breakins?

Maybe a mix of both?

Okay, now I'll have to go over the possibilities in my head AKA, what happened during the trip.

First, his cat got hurt more than once.

Second, there was a stranger who fought with Abel in the living room.

Third, that same stranger broke in to stop a stalker.

Fourth, a stalker was after Kiku.

Fifth, that stranger (who Ludwig put in his head may be the same person who was in his room-though he wouldn't be wrong-) returned and talked for a few minutes before taking off in a rush.

Sixth, a pair of his pants went missing.

Hmm…I can see where there were problems…

He obviously didn't get to look at my fine ass enough~

Ugh….Lovino….Just go the fuck to sleep you horny little bastard…You can get turned on by any topic, can't you?

I let out a little yawn and curled up on my seat, deciding to take a nap since I wouldn't do anything productive while awake.

* * *

"Wake up Basilio." I cracked open an eye and saw that Antonio was looking at me from the driver's seat. "We're home."

He was probably right…I don't really see the outside of his apartment building, so I couldn't be sure. I'm just gonna assume he knows where he lives since he does come home to me every day.

"Come on little buddy. I'm gonna carry you inside. I know how you hate getting your paws dirty, and they're already dirty enough from the beach house. So I'll be giving you a bath today so you can be nice and clean again." Antonio picked me up from my spot, getting out of his car and closing the door with his foot. "I'll leave you on the floor for the moment so I can get the rest of our things, then I'll give you a nice warm bath."

I didn't bother answering him, mainly because I couldn't. He did bring me inside and set me on the carpet near the door though. I just sat where he left me, because no way in hell was I going to dirty up my bed that I normally sleep in. I don't give a fuck if I'm a cat or not, my bed will be clean damn it!

So, looking like an obedient pet, I sat where I was while waiting for Antonio to return with everything from his car. It didn't take him long, but then again he really only brought his clothes, some toys, and my food things with us. Those things he can, and did, get in one trip to his car.

And that meant I could get clean and finally relax. Unlike Antonio, I couldn't take a bath or shower while at the beach house, so I was still dirty from the sand and dirt. Oh and the dried blood that Antonio hadn't gotten with a towel.

"You were waiting for me Basilio?" Antonio cooed, just setting his things near the door. He closed the door and picked me up. "You must really want that bath." I didn't say anything, once again because I couldn't, and just anxiously awaited my bath.

Don't get me wrong, I loved being clean…I just hated getting a bath as a cat. The guy touched me in places that shouldn't be touched!

Unless by a lover.

Or an obsessive/abusive boyfriend.

Ugh.

Memories keep returning of him. Why? Is it because I've voluntarily chosen to pull him back into my life to protect someone else? I've set myself up for the pain again. I chose to take the pain to help someone else. To keep them from feeling the same pain I've felt for years.

Why?

Why am I helping someone else? I'm such a loner. I hate everyone. They're just a nuisance…

Aren't they?

Feliciano is my brother. I love him…He could never be a nuisance in the way that I'd never want to be near him again. Antonio takes such good care of me, despite me being a violent little bastard of a cat. Elizabeta was like the mother I lost, trying to take care of the others and I despite being maybe only a year older than myself (hell she may've been younger for all I know). Matthew is so calm and always tries to make sure the others and I are happy…Even the others…

No.

Everyone isn't a nuisance.

Not everyone needs to be ignored. Everyone needs affection, my sour ass included.

Maybe that's why I did it. Kiku was like the people I've gotten close to. He was someone that needed protection. And he needed protection from the one person who could actually do that job.

Me.

The sour puss, pain-in-the ass, stubborn, foul-mouthed cat/human hybrid who's gone through it before. The only person who could get that psycho's attention off of anyone else. The one person who normally didn't want to be involved with other people.

I'm voluntarily helping another to protect them, even though I don't know them. Why? Why am I doing it? Why is this stubborn person helping? I've never helped anyone before.

No.

That's a lie.

I've saved a child from being hit by a car, breaking my own arm in the process. I took a knife to my hand to help an old woman from being stabbed to death, nearly severing the nerves in my right hand. I've given up my life to protect Minna and Feliciano, scarring my body just to protect them.

I took the pain to save them from it. I took the pain to protect everyone from that bastard for years. Us dating was a false pretense. There was never any love in it. There's never been any love.

Us dating was only to satiate the man ruining my life. The life that stopped being mine the moment I met him.

He had finally introduced himself to me during our senior year.

Heh, he introduced himself alright.

He caught up to me in the locker rooms at school-I had been later than everyone else because I had to go to the nurse's office since Feli had hurt himself- and cornered me.

"I've been watching you Lovino," he had whispered in my ear. He had cornered me in the back of the changing rooms near the wall…

"_You know you're an attractive guy," this stranger whispered to me. I remembered seeing him around school, but I had never talked to the guy. He was decent looking though, I'll admit that. "I'd love to get to know you better."_

"_Get off me you bastard!" I shouted at him, only for him to cover my mouth. He pushed his own body against mine, keeping me pinned to the wall. His free hand landed on my side, sliding down my body and to my hip._

"_Such harsh language Lovino. I only wanted to finally introduce myself to the attractive Italian everyone's been talking about for years."_

_I shook my head to get his hand away from my mouth. "You could've fucking done it like a normal person instead of molesting me."_

_I saw his smirk. "But maybe I wanted to do it this way…Maybe I want you all for myself." His hand slid farther back, as far back as the wall I was against would allow, to rest on my ass._

_My eyes narrowed. "You can't fucking have me. I'm no one's."_

_His own eyes narrowed. "You're mine now. Not even that child you're always hanging out with can have you."_

_Child? The only person I was on decent terms with that was younger than me was Feliciano…He didn't know we were brothers? I thought everyone knew that._

_They all preferred my brother after all._

"_Leave him out of this you fucking bastard," I growled. "He has nothing to do with this."_

"_I'll leave him out of this if you agree to my terms." The hand behind me pushed me forward into the man in front of me as his hand made its way into the top of my gym shorts. I couldn't get away from him…_

_He was too strong._

_The only thing I could do was comply and hope my brother wouldn't have to deal with this psycho._

"_What do you want?" I asked, honestly not wanting to know the answer._

_The lust in his eyes answered well before he or his hand did. "You of course."_

That was the day I lost my virginity. I remember screaming from the pain and cursing that I had gym as my last class of the day, as no one would be coming into the room until five to make sure no one had stayed in the room before they locked it. It wasn't the last time though…No.

Far from it. So fucking far from it.

It was the first out of countless rapes. There wasn't a single thing I could do though. He had something on me.

He threatened my brother.

I don't think he ever figured out he was my brother though. Every time we were together outside of our apartment after that I had told him to only refer to me as fratello, never brother.

If anything Feliciano was safer being considered as a friend to me rather than my brother. I on the other hand was worse off…But as long as Feliciano was safe, who gives a fuck.

"Basilio, you've been quiet the whole time you were taking a bath. Are you sick?"

I looked up into Antonio's face then around me. We were in the living room, me on Antonio's lap on the couch, and my fur was wet. I had already had my bath?

I blinked up at my owner.

"I'm going to call a vet in a little while so I can bring you in tomorrow. I know it's been a few days, but I'm still a little worried. Especially since you didn't even fight back like normal for your bath." Antonio's hand went to pet me and involuntarily-possibly because of my recent thoughts-I flinched away from it, my ears flattening as well.

A hand meant pain. So much pain.

Apparently my owner didn't miss it, and it caused him to stop. His expression turned to one of worry.

"Maybe I should ask Gilbert to ask Ludwig to borrow Ban Ban for a little while…"

I don't want my brother to see me like this. He'd ask what was wrong, and I don't want to tell him. I had to lie enough through the years with this; I don't want to have to do it again.

He's the one person I hate lying like this to. The police, and even Minna, were easier to lie to. I just had to deal with them for short moments, minus when I was brought in for questioning by both sides. Feliciano is my younger brother, and we're very close despite what people think.

It honestly is very hard for me to keep anything from him. I may yell at him and smack him around and even throw things at him…But in the end I apologize and we talk about things, mostly of what we had been fighting about.

That stopped when Sadiq got involved. Feliciano stopped knowing everything about my life. The lies began there…And they continued to deepen.

My arm was broken from Sadiq snapping it in his fury after being drunk; I told him I fell down the stairs at Minna's apartment.

I couldn't walk because Sadiq had been so rough with me, not giving a fuck I was in so much pain; I called Feliciano and told him I was spending the night with Minna.

There were bruises all over my body; he was told I kept running into things.

He was told to only call me fratello, and never brother in public; I told him it was because I missed our native language and felt like we'd be closer if he used our native language. He had asked why it was only in public and not when we were in our apartment…I had distracted him with the offer of making pasta that night every time.

Thankfully he hasn't asked since we've been cursed, since he's become so accustomed to referring me as fratello, but I don't know what I can do if he asks again while we're like this. Pasta can't be made while I'm a cat.

There's a possibility I can distract him with maybe a shiny object or a cat toy…Hell, I'm sure even cat nip would work with distracting him. Maybe even that little bit of dust in the corner of the room can distract him.

I just hope he doesn't ask…I don't want to lie to him again.

But I don't want to tell him I did all this for him.

He wouldn't be able to take it knowing I've allowed the scars on my body, the ones I've lied about every time he saw them by saying I had gotten injured while I was out, just to protect him. Every drop of blood, every tear, every scream, everything.

It was all for my younger brother, Feliciano Vargas.


	11. To Be Complete

"Are you alright Lovi?" Feli asked me. He and I were sitting in Antonio's car, on the way to the vet, both of us in the passenger seat. I'd love to be in the driver's seat, speeding through the roads and streets of this town, but sadly I'm a fucking cat.

Feli's owner had allowed Antonio to watch over my brother for the night and to come with me to the vet. I assume that German meat brick allowed Antonio to watch Feliciano because he knew I was hurt and that I might want my brother beside me.

It might've also been because Antonio begged him over the phone so that 'Basilio will have someone to comfort him at the vet.' Then I proceeded to listen to him say, 'He's been so distant since he got hurt. Please Ludwig!' He even got watery eyes. 'My eyes are even watering. Can I watch Ban Ban for the night? I promise I'll feed him and everything. I just don't want Basilio to be scared.' I didn't really get why he actually had to get watery eyes…He could've lied to the German bastard about it. But Antonio did at least get my brother for the night, of which I was grateful.

I can't see my brother as much anymore, and it really did upset me sometimes. How often I could see my brother depended on other people, instead of depending on when I was off of work or something actually normal.

No, we're fucking cats and pet cats at that. Our lives depend on our owners.

I honestly would love to say 'fuck it' and just take off…But at least we're guaranteed food and a way of seeing each other with our humans. I must've said it a thousand times to myself, but I'll never let my brother starve. I'll do anything for the annoying little bastard.

"I'm fine Feli," I answered my brother after a while.

The only thing I was worrying about with this visit was about my insides…Do humans and cats look the same on the inside? If not, things may turn for the worse.

"Fratello?" He just stared at me, like he knew I was hiding something. I _was_ hiding something from him though.

I didn't want him to know I was scared.

"Don't worry about it." I rubbed my head against my younger brother's, hoping to soothe him. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"The next time I can make us an actual meal…I know you love pasta, so I was thinking of making that." A quick lie that my brother would believe.

He stared at me. "Lovi, you can't be caught. You'll be put on the streets. I don't want you on the streets…" Even my stupid brother can be smart sometimes…He's honestly not _as_ stupid as he acts.

He's still very stupid, don't get me wrong about that. There should be no confusion on his stupidity.

But he does get his moments. However few and far apart they are, he still gets them.

"I meant once this was all over." I licked the top of my brother's head. "When we can go back to our normal lives." Where I can continue to protect you from the hazards of this world.

In this form I'm not as strong and everyone is bigger than us. At least being human only half the people were bigger than us, and we could actually beg for help if we really needed to. We had a better chance of survival as humans.

Feliciano was quiet for a moment, his ears folded back as he enjoyed being groomed. "Do you think we can break this curse Lovi?"

"Yes," I answered almost immediately. "I'll break the curse so we don't have to be household pets anymore. You won't have to piss in a litter box. You won't have to eat out of a stupid bowl on the floor. You won't have to be treated as a pet."

"Ve~" Feli purred. "It'd be nice…I miss how things were."

"Me too Feli. Me too."

* * *

I was glaring at the vet, who now sported many new cuts for everything he did to me to make sure I was healthy before actually going over the reason we were here. I am still partially human, so I felt fairly violated. That and we came for my god damned back! Worry about that, not every other thing!

"Well it doesn't look like he has an infection," the man told Antonio. I was sitting comfortably in Antonio's lap with Feli, after making a huge fuss to get away from the violating vet. "You should've brought him in immediately after he had received the injury." We couldn't dumbass, otherwise my owner would've done so. And by the time a vet was open-why aren't there any open all night? Pets get injured at night dumbass- I was already doing pretty well and walking on my fucking own. What's the point of going to the vet when I can walk on my own two feet?

There is no point.

"My friend had called all the vets in the area we were in, and they were all closed. It was the middle of the night and we didn't think any vets close by would even be open. So we took care of my little Basilio the best we could. To be honest, the reason I brought him here wasn't for the mark, though I do want to make sure he's okay since he had bled out quite a bit. The reason I brought him here is because he seems to be distant. I don't know if that happens after a pet gets injured or something."

"Well he seems very attentive," the vet informed my master. "And he doesn't seem to have any injuries to his head that I can see. It's possible that, just like a human, he has something on his mind."

"Is that all?" Antonio asked, a smile on his face. "I was worried it was something serious."

Unlike the Spanish man, some people do have things on their mind. The rest of us can actually keep thoughts in our head for longer than two seconds…

Not everyone has the attention span of a rock like you Antonio.

Though Feliciano and Alfred do come pretty close to that attention span. Throw a piece of paper in front of them and they'll try to figure out a few things.

First, what was in front of them.

When that is figured out, they then want to know what's on it.

When that is figured out, they want to then figure out where in the hell it came from.

It takes a little while sometimes, so you can easily walk away and watch from a distance how confused and freaked out they get.

I know this definitely applies to Feliciano…I've done it to him a few times. I knocked a rock at Alfred though once and his reactions are pretty close to Feli's, so I'm sure the same applies to him.

Heh fucking morons…They're so fun to mess with…Maybe I'll do the same to Antonio to entertain myself.  
Its more entertaining doing that that playing with a toy that has cat nip in it. Damn cat nip…

"-and just continue with whatever you're doing. His back seems to be healing nicely without any stitching. Just continue to clean around the wound and make sure that he doesn't get dirt or anything in the wound."

"Basilio doesn't like to get dirty, so that'll be pretty easy."

They just continue talking about stuff Antonio should know but will probably forget.

"He's just going to forget it when we get back to his car," I grumbled to my brother.

"It's a good thing you're so smart then fratello," he said happily. "You know what you should and shouldn't be doing." He rubbed his head under my chin. "You're the smartest guy I know."

Yeah…sure…You also think pigs actually _can_ fly.

Even though… "Thank you."

"Ve~"

Leave it to my dimwitted brother to say what I need to hear the most.

* * *

Leave it to my dimwitted brother to ask what I didn't want to answer.

"I told you it was from all the times I kept hurting myself."

"Fratello…I don't believe you. Why're you lying to me?"

I hissed at him from my spot on the sofa. He was toward the middle of the sofa, whereas I was near the arm on one side so he couldn't nudge me to try to pester me more. Antonio was making some food for when my brother's German bastard of an owner came over with his equally German bastard of a brother.

"I'm not lying to you."

"Yes you are. Brother…Where did you get all those scars?"

"You've seen them before, why're you asking now?" I asked, trying to avoid the question. It didn't escape my notice that he referred to me as brother in English, as opposed to our Italian tongue.

"I saw them again when you came in with Eva and Matthew at Jeanne's beach house…They were all over your back, chest, stomach, arms…The only thing that didn't have a scar was your face Lovi…Last time you told me the same thing you're telling me now. The others and I don't believe you." He stood from his spot and walked closer to me. "When you don't want to lie you have this guilty look in your eyes…I've always noticed it, but didn't say anything…Why won't you tell me the truth?"

To protect you. "You don't need to know."

"Why not?"

If you knew you'd be devastated. "Because it's none of your business what happens to my body."

"You're my brother. I love you and care about what happens Lovino." He used my whole name. He rarely does that unless he's serious about something.

I love you too Feliciano, that's why I refuse to tell you. "It doesn't matter. What happens doesn't have anything to do with you." I stood from my spot.

"Lovi?" He followed me as I walked toward the kitchen. "It does matter Lovi. Why won't you tell me anything?"

"It doesn't concern you!" I hissed at him. "It's my body. If I want it scarred, I can get it scarred." I put my paw on Antonio's leg.

"Aww my little Basilio wants to be picked up?" He looked down at me with a smile before picking me up and petting me for a moment. Then he set me on the counter. "I can't hold you though my little amigo. I do have to cook. Gil and Ludwig will be here soon."

I let out a meow of acknowledgement before sitting on the counter and looking at my brother on the floor.

"Brother, why won't you answer me?" he asked, sitting on the floor and looking up at me.

I'm ashamed of my scars. I'm ashamed that I got them. I'm ashamed of how I got them. They're proof of all the lies I've told. They're proof of all the abuse I've endured. They're proof that I'm weak and can only give my body up to protect you.

"Because it's not important." Because I can't tell you the truth.

A knocking came from the door.

"Come in!" Antonio called. "The door's open!"

"Stupid…Shouldn't just let people come in without checking. It may be Sadiq." I just continued grumbling to myself, knowing my brother couldn't hear me clearly from where he was sitting.

"Hey Antonio!" the albino freak shouted into our house.

At least I know it's not Sadiq…He wouldn't be that stupid.

"How was Bannruod?" the German wall of meat questioned. "Did he behave?" I heard the sound of the door closing. I doubt it was his albino brother, so it must've been the meat wall that closed it.

"Ban Ban was very well behaved," Antonio answered, turning his head to smile at the brothers standing in sight range of the kitchen. "And I think he helped Basil through his visit."

"How was the visit?" Matthew asked, flying over to the counter and landing on it.

"It was annoying," I told Matthew. "I hate visits to the fucking vet. But all he told Antonio was some stuff about making sure that I didn't get any dirt or anything in the cut. Basically things we already knew."

"So you didn't need any stitching?"

"Nope. I have to be careful, though I already knew that…I probably shouldn't change for a while."

"Our next meetup is this coming week though."

"That gives me a week to recover. It shouldn't hurt when I change, and I'll just wash myself off when I get back."

"Lovi, please tell me," Feli begged from the floor.

"No," I immediately answered. "This conversation is done Feliciano."

"No." I looked down at him, seeing a glare directed my way…That almost never happened. "Tell me Lovino."

I hissed down at him. "No. I've told you the conversation is done."

"Why do you have all those scars?"

"It's none of your fucking business!"

"Yes it is!"

"No its not!"

"Please stop fighting you guys." Matthew ruffled his feathers.

"I'd stop if he'd stop trying to pry into my life."

"Matthew, he won't tell me the truth about his scars. Even you've said you think he's lying." My brother directed his attention back to me. "Why're you hiding the truth about your scars Lovino? I'm worried about you…"

"Don't be. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Feliciano's eyes saddened. "But you've gotten scars anyway."

"And I've lived through them," I shot back. "I'm strong enough to live through every scar on my body! I can handle them on my own. Just…" I let out a sigh. "Just drop it Feliciano…If it were important enough I'd tell you. It's nothing to worry about."

I'm sorry Feliciano. It's everything to worry about. It was all I ever thought about. It had stopped after this curse, but now it's the only thing I can think of again. It'll slowly eat me up.

He'll find me again. I know he will.

He saw the faces of the people in Jeanne's house. He'll slowly find where each person lives, searching for me.

Hurting people in the process for the information he wants.

Fuck…

What do I do?

I can't continue hiding.

I looked over at Antonio, who was sitting at his table eating whatever he made with Gilbert and Ludwig. Antonio was taking care of me, even though I sometimes got pretty foul. He continued to smile through it though, and he was concerned about me.

I couldn't let this guy suffer because of me.

His friend took care of Matthew, who's so fragile. Gilbert's brother took care of my brother. Both of them are so happy with their owners, despite being animals. And when I met with the others, they seemed so happy with their owners, for the most part.

Shit. This is all my fault. I have to fix it.

Somehow.

Maybe I shouldn't be living this cushy life. I don't deserve this. Not when I've led this psycho to these people who actually care for each other.

No longer.

"Matthew." The small bird looked at me. "Take care of Feliciano for me."

"What?"

I jumped from the counter to the floor, my back stinging from the impact.

"Lovi?"

"I love you Feliciano." I rubbed my head against his before walking toward the door.

"Fratello?"

I turned human once I was out of view of the kitchen and opened the door before changing back to a cat. My back stung a little, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

"Is someone there?" I heard Antonio ask.

"Where are you going?" Feli asked, walking toward the door. Matthew came flying out of the kitchen.

"Take care of yourself Feli."

"Fratello…" He let out a loud meow. It meant nothing to those of us who understood him, but I knew it wasn't meant for that. It was meant to get attention.

"Ban Ban, are you okay?" Gilbert asked.

I just walked out the door.

"Lovino, come back!" Matthew called, flying into the hallway.

I didn't bother looking back. It'd hurt too much. I'd want to go back to my cushy life. That's something I can't do.

"Brother, please don't leave!" Feli called.

"Why's the door open?" Antonio asked from inside just as I turned the corner leading to the staircase. It's easier to go down the staircase as I am than trying to work the elevator without changing.

I can only trust that my brother and friends are taken care of like they should be, because I doubt I'll be able to see them like I was able to with our owners…Maybe I'll visit the others for this meet up one last time…If I can leave Sadiq's sight after being gone for two years.

Fuck.

This is what happens when people get close to me.

I don't want them to get hurt…

Sorry Antonio…You were a great friend to me. You made me feel complete again. I'm returning the favor by saving your life.

I stumbled and had to lean against the wall on the stairs with my small body. Things were getting dark and I was beginning to feel lightheaded. Without my consent a loud screech came out of my mouth, my body now convulsing.

What's happening to me?


	12. What Happened?

[Antonio's POV]

"Where's Basilio?" I asked, looking at Ban Ban and Gilleas. They were both standing in the hall for some reason, staring in the direction of the stairs and elevator.

"What's wrong Toni?" Gilbert asked, walking over to me. "Why's Ban Ban and Gilleas standing in the hall? And where is Basil…Isn't that little guy always near Ban Ban?"

Ban Ban came over and sunk his teeth into my jeans, trying to pull me out into the hallway.

"What's the matter Ban Ban?"

He let go and meowed, walking a little and looking back at us.

"Hey Ludwig, come on!" Gilbert called into the kitchen. "We're following your cat."

"Why?" he asked, coming into our view and walking over to us.

"I dunno, but he wants us to follow him."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud screeching from the direction of the stairwell.

"What was that?" Gilbert asked, looking in the direction the noise had come from.

"It sounded like a cat," I answered, also looking in that direction.

I took off to the stairwell, wanting to know what the sound was and hoping it wasn't my cat. I was seriously hoping that Basilio just went into my room or something to sleep again.

When we reached the stairwell, we had to go down a floor, but we saw someone passed out on the stairs. I recognized him from the scars I saw on his back. Those same scars I saw on someone at Jeanne's house. If I remembered correctly, he had more than just on his back though.

I ran down to try to help the guy, noticing a few things.

First things first, this guy had no clothes on. Why was he walking around without clothes?  
Second is that he had a cat tail coming out right above his rear.

Third is that there were some cat ears on the top of his head.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, turning the guy onto his back. He seemed to be unconscious and didn't respond in the slightest. The only thing that happened was that the cat ear on the top of his head twitched.

"Should we call for some help?" Gilbert asked.

"We should probably get him back to Antonio's apartment first," Ludwig answered. "So he's more comfortable."

I nodded, picking Lovino up. Ban Ban, who had Gilleas on his back, let out a meow and looked up at me.

"Not now Ban Ban," I told him as we made our way back up to my apartment. The male in my arms was set on the sofa and covered with a blanket. Ban Ban jumped onto the sofa, laying near his head while Gilleas flew over to the back of the sofa.

"Why would someone be walking around naked?" Gilbert asked, sitting on the loveseat with his brother while I sat in my recliner. "With cat ears and a tail at that…"

"Well it looked like the tail was attached to his skin." I stared at Lovino's sleeping face, seeing it was contorted in pain. I also noticed that he didn't have ears…Besides the cat ones on the top of his head. "And the same with his ears…He doesn't have normal ears…"

"Do you think…they're real?" Gilbert asked. He must've wanted to feel them, just like I did, to see if they were real. I knew this because his hand kept twitching.

"I don't know…They look real." They were also the same color as Basilio's fur…Actually he had a curl that stuck out the same way Basilio's fur use to curl. I never noticed that before. That may've also been because I didn't get to really speak to Lovino for long…I wonder if he's the same as Basilio and doesn't let anyone touch it…

Where did Basilio go anyway?

He would've come to at least see what was going on before going back into hiding or whatever he was doing.

I hope he's okay.

* * *

[Lovino's POV]

I moved onto my side, bringing my paw up to scratch my ear…Only for a hand to touch my ear instead. Who was touching my ear?

Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was my feline brother up close and personal with my face.

"Are you okay Lovi?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine Feli…"

"You're awake." I reached over to push my brother with my own paws, only to see a human hand. What the fuck is happening?

I pushed up with my apparently human hand and sat up. Antonio, Gilbert, and Ludwig were all staring at me. Did I turn human in my sleep? They'll figure out I'm a cat if I change again.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked, tilting my head. I could swear I felt my ears move, like they normally did when I was confused. But I'm human, so my ears couldn't move like that.

"Half an hour," Ludwig answered.

What?

"What?" I asked, shifting my weight before letting out a yelp. My poor fucking tail.

Wait…Tail? I thought I was human.

I moved the blanket from my lap, seeing I was completely naked. That wasn't on my mind though. How in the world did I keep my tail when I was human?

"What the hell happened to me?" I asked, looking at the three males in the room.

"We heard something in the stairwell and found you unconscious," Antonio answered. "Why were you naked?"

"I wasn't naked. I was walking damn it." I growled. What the hell was happening?

"Lovi, what's happening?" I heard Feliciano ask.

"I don't know, don't ask me Feli."

"Who're you talking to?" Ludwig asked.

"That cat," I growled, pointing at my brother.

"How can you hear us?" Matthew asked. "You're human."

"Not completely," I answered, looking behind me at Matthew. I was completely ignoring the other males now. "Apparently I kept my tail and ears somehow."

"Can you still change?"

"I dunno. I guess I can try." I arched my back like I did when I changed to a human again. "Nope, can't…Probably as human as I'm getting."

"What about changing back into a cat?"

"Hell no! I don't want to go back to that."

"Try…"

"I guess I have nothing to lose…They've already seen the ears and tail anyway." I concentrated on changing and surprisingly enough changed back into my cat form.

Blinking, I looked up at the humans. All of their eyes were wide.

"So I can change to a cat, but that form was as human as I was getting." I changed human again and crossed my legs, putting my elbow onto my knee and leaning forward so I could rest my chin in my hand. "So apparently I can stay in this form longer than fifteen minutes, and now I'm unsure how long I can stay as a cat or this form. I haven't been forced to change yet. What do you think Matthew?"

He flew to my shoulder. "I don't know Lovino…None of the others mentioned anything like this. How did you end up like this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I was a cat when I was trying to leave…The last thing I remember was thanking Antonio for caring for me and then things started going black." I looked at my shoulder. "You think I may've broken the curse or something?"

"But you're still half cat."

"Maybe that's how it's suppose to be? I don't know. Fuck. There should've been some kinda manual."

"Um…who're you talking to?" Ludwig asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You two, change…They've seen me. Might as well show them and explain things…Maybe they can help us."

My brother changed by my side immediately, smiling. "Ve~ They haven't run from us yet. Maybe we won't have to run away."

"Can I have the blanket?" Matthew asked from my shoulder.

I nodded, moving the blanket and setting it over Matthew when he landed on my opposite side. He changed under the blanket, uncovering his head and chest. He was shyer than my brother or I when changing. Feli and I sometimes slept naked, so we're use to the exposure.

Matthew…not so much.

"I was talking to your pets Ban Ban and Gilleas." I pointed to my brother and Matthew as I said their pet names. "Their names are Feliciano and Matthew." Again I pointed at each as I said their real names.

"What are you guys?" Gilbert asked, his eyes still wide.

"Humans," Feli said with his ever present smile. "We're just like you guys."

"No offence…but um, we can't change into animals."

"Thank you for pointing that out," I stated, rolling my eyes. "We were cursed because someone broke a charm in a shop. Speaking of…" I looked over at Matthew. "Do you keep in touch with your dumbass brother?"

Matthew shook his head. "Other than when we see the others, I don't get to see him."

My face softened a bit…At least Feliciano and I could see each other at times other than our meet ups once a month. That was one of few things I actually liked about the German bastard. He had a connection with Antonio and that allowed Feli and I to see each other.

"Well, I think we may've at least found a breakthrough with our curse," I told them, leaning back on the couch, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Ludwig asked. "Why did our pets turn into humans? What are you? What's happening?"

"Your pets are really human," Matthew explained quietly. "There're more of us…We were all cursed. We didn't want to reveal ourselves because to be honest we didn't want to live on the streets again, so we lived as real pets…We've been trying to figure out how to break our curse as we lived as your pets."

"We were afraid if we revealed ourselves as humans with a curse that you guys would get rid of us and we'd be on the streets again," Feli admitted, leaning back and holding onto my arm. He rested his head on my shoulder. "Lovi always tried to get food for me…He gave up his food for me sometimes, even if he was starving. He would refuse to eat it and said only I could have it…I couldn't reveal myself because I didn't want to be on the streets. If I was on the streets again, Lovi would follow me. I like that he's being taken care of now…I didn't want it to stop. I'm sorry for being selfish."

I uncrossed my arms and moved my brother's bangs a bit. "It's not selfish…I never revealed myself because I knew at least this way I could still see you and knew you were safe. If anything I'm selfish."

"I'm still confused," Antonio said.

"That's no surprise…What are you confused about?"

"So…you're Basilio?"

I nodded my head. "I was actually leaving…But I can't leave like this…At least not at the moment."

"Why were you leaving?"

The pressure on my arm disappeared and my brother was once again a cat. A few moments later and Matthew was trying to push the blanket off of himself. I helped him by moving the blanket back to my lap.

"Fifteen minutes already?" I asked myself before looking over at Antonio. "I was leaving to return the favor."

"Favor?" The guy looked so lost. Honestly that doesn't surprise me. This isn't exactly the easiest thing to believe. He's probably still trying to get his head around the idea.

Hell, even I wouldn't believe it, but I've been living it. I can't help but believe it. This curse protected me from that fucking bastard for a while. Of course I'll believe the curse is real. That all of these relations and such are real.

That this happiness I had for a little while is real.

"You took care of my stubborn little ass…I was returning the favor by leaving."

"I'm still confused by this, but how is leaving helping?" Ludwig asked.

My brother was curled up by my side now.

"I have my reasons."

"Which are?" Gilbert pursued.

"None of your business." I looked down at Feli. "And none of yours either." He let out a meow. It wasn't speaking or anything, just a sad meow to let his feelings out. "But if you'd let me have a pair of pants and a hat I'll be out of here. I can access my old bank account and buy you a new cat or something if you'll be lonely."

"You don't have to leave," Antonio said, surprising me. "You were Basilio, and I've gotten use to having you, not another cat, around. I'm sure you can repay your favor another way besides leaving."

"Why are you allowing a complete stranger to stay in your home?"

"You're not a stranger." He tilted his head in confusion. "You've lived with me for a while. I'm sure if you wanted to hurt me or anything you would've done it already."

I groaned.

If I lived in this apartment Sadiq didn't specifically have to know I lived with Antonio. Unlike the apartment building Feli and I use to live in you can't tell which room someone went to from the outside…Ugh, I'd be risking it but- "Fine…I'll stay. And I can explain more about the curse to you." And you can't follow me when I go away at night.

"I just have one question." I looked at Antonio but didn't say anything. "Who was in my room that night? Was there really someone there?"

"That was me," I said with a sigh. "I borrowed your pants to meet up with my brother, Matthew, and some others. Speaking of which, I trashed one when I bled onto it at Jeanne's beach house."

"You were the one who fought with Abel, correct?" Ludwig asked.

"Yes." I was tired of this, but I was happy. They weren't getting rid of us, even knowing what we were. Sadly, this happiness will have to end…It just…It has to.

There's no other way.

"Why?"

"I may be human, but Antonio is…was…whatever…He's my master- or owner if you want to say it that way- until the time I'm fully human. Abel was getting a knife from the kitchen. I remembered that apparently he hates Antonio and has tried to kill him before. As a pet it was my job to protect Antonio."

"You had gotten hurt to protect me?"

"That's what my dislocated shoulder said." I thought about the beach house. "Oh and if any of your female friends come over, I'm staying as a cat."

He seemed confused.

"Why?" his albino friend finally questioned.

"Apparently you've never been squished against them, but despite the lack of oxygen, they have pretty comfortable breasts."

That caused the albino to start laughing to himself, Antonio to chuckle a little, and Ludwig to get a little redder. Matthew ended up letting out a tweet, which had no meaning.

"Ve~" Feli let out. "I agree Lovi~"


	13. You're Welcome

I let out a yawn, stretching from my spot on the couch. I had told Antonio that I was his cat still last night and would sleep on the couch, since it was fairly comfortable, and if it became unbearable I'd just change into a cat to sleep.

Glancing around, I noticed once again I was awake before Antonio. As a cat I was always awake before him. Sometimes I went back to sleep though since I would be bored otherwise.

I'm currently human and capable of doing things like I use to before the curse though, so I can do something besides sleep…Should I wake Antonio up like I did as a cat?

I could…Would he be mad though? I'm not exactly a cat now…

Maybe I'll make breakfast for the tomato bastard. If I remember correctly he normally gets up at seven on a work day. It's six-thirty. That definitely gives me enough time to make him an omelet and figure out how to work his coffee machine for a cup of coffee…

I'll figure out the coffee machine first. It's been a while since I've used one, and I'm unsure if they're still made the same as I remember. It looks to be the same, but you can never be sure.

So that's what I ended up doing for the next thirty minutes. I made some coffee and an omelet. I even had five minutes to spare before Antonio's alarm clock went off.

He won't mind waking up five minutes early for some breakfast.

I made my way to Antonio's room, nudging the door with my foot. Thankfully he had left his door somewhat open like he normally did so I wouldn't have difficulties getting into his room.

When I reached his bed, I set his coffee and food down before messing with his alarm clock to turn it off. All these stupid buttons. What did half of these even do? Probably started a countdown on when it'd explode.

I'm not that lucky.

Anyways, I did figure out how to turn off Antonio's alarm and shook his shoulder a bit. "Wake up bastard. I made you some breakfast." The only thing I got in response was a groan and Antonio covering his face with his arm. I shook him again, getting the same response, a groan. "Your breakfast will get cold dumbass." No response from the mention of his breakfast getting cold.

Oh fuck this shit. You're gonna get your ass up whether you like it or not.

I pulled off the pants, shirt, and boxers that Antonio had lent me and climbed onto his bed. When my whole body was on the bed, I changed into my cat form and jumped onto his lap.

You know how they cats land lightly or some crap like that? Yeah…I didn't feel like landing lightly. And I kept jumping, even after Antonio woke up. In fact, I didn't stop jumping until he picked me up and stared me in the face.

"Basilio, why're you so mean?"

I changed back to my mostly human form, causing Antonio to let me go and me to sit on his legs naked. He seemed surprised, possibly forgetting that I was human. "I made you breakfast and you didn't wake up." That being said, I got off of his legs to put my clothes back on, being careful of my tail again. Eventually I'd have to stab a hole through these pants, or wear them low, because it's uncomfortable for my poor tail. Its none too pleasant having my tail down one of my pants legs. Right now it was in my right pant's leg, curling around it so it wouldn't be as close to my knee.

"Um, thank you Lovino," he said, leaning over and grabbing his food.

"No problem. Just don't take forever; you have work today."

And while you're working I have my own work to do.

"Oh, do you have a computer or laptop with internet?"

Antonio looked up from his omelet, of which he'd already taken a few bites, a thoughtful look on his face. "Um, I think I have a laptop somewhere around here. And I have internet, though I barely use it." He took another bite of his food. "Actually, I think I let Gilbert borrow it for a project he needed to do a few weeks ago. I think you had been napping that whole visit."

Oh great, that albino freak had it.

"I'll just go to the library then."

"Oh, I'll leave you the address to this apartment complex then." A smile graced his lips. "I know you've mostly been in here, and probably don't know where it is from different places."

"I know where this place is for the most part…I just don't recognize it during the day…I have snuck out to see my brother you know…"

"Either way I'll write down the address before I leave for work, just in case you get lost. You can ask someone for directions or something."

I rolled my eyes at the man's actions. But he was trying to be helpful, and for that I was happy. "Alright. I'll probably be gone most of the day, and I don't know when I'll get back."

"I'll leave my spare key with you then."

"Probably not the best idea," I immediately told him, leaning my upper body against the wall near the door. I watched as he took a sip of his coffee, making a face after the sip. "I didn't know how much sugar or cream you put in, so I left it black. I can get some if you want any."

"No, no, you've already done enough making my breakfast for me," he told me with a smile. "Why isn't it the best idea?"

"I'd end up losing it with all the walking around I'd be doing. Do you have it anywhere outside you can leave it?"

"Um…"

"What time do you get home? About six right?" He nodded, taking another sip of his coffee and making another face.

I held up my finger and left the room, getting two packs of sugar and the container of creamer. I brought them back to Antonio, setting them on his end table near his clock.

"Okay, now you can answer, now that I won't have to watch you make faces at your coffee."

"Thank you." Another smile…Did the smile even leave? Oh wait, yeah, cause he made that face with the coffee. "Yeah, I normally get home about six."

"Alright. I'll just make sure I'm here after six…I probably won't be back until after dark anyway." I let out a yawn, my mouth opening wide.

"Your teeth are pointed."

I almost froze mid-yawn, but I've tried that before and it hurts my jaw, so I finished my yawn before giving Antonio a look. "Really?"

"Yeah. Not all of them. I think maybe four or so from what I saw."

"Why were you staring in my fucking mouth?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Weirdo."

He laughed a bit before taking another bite of his food. "Sorry, but you yawned so widely and didn't bother covering it. We were in the middle of a conversation, so I was already looking at you and I saw it."

I rolled my eyes, pushing my weight off the wall. "Yeah yeah. Anyway, finish your breakfast. I'll be taking a shower."

"Oh, you can use any clothes in my closet until you can get some clothes of your own."

That's nice of him to offer. "Thank you." I walked over to his closet, grabbing some clothes that looked as though it'd be too small for Antonio. "I'll be reopening my accounts today, so I'll buy some clothes for myself."

"I have a question." I didn't look away from the boxers I was searching through to try to find a smaller pair. The pair I currently had on was sliding off my hips a little, but that may also be because my tail was pulled over the top of the boxers.

"Shoot."

"So all that time you were missing…it was because you were a cat?"

"Yeah." I held up a pair of black boxers with red on the side. It looked like it'd be a little snug on Antonio, so maybe it'd fit me. "I couldn't exactly go to work for less than fifteen minutes at a time, so I had to just stop going." I didn't bother with finding any socks, since I'd just wear whatever shoes Antonio let me borrow without them. That and I hate bunchy socks, and since Antonio has bigger feet than me, those socks would bunch up a bit in the shoes. "I shouldn't be long, so you'll still have the bathroom before you leave for work."

He just nodded so I made my way to the bathroom, hoping it wouldn't be too difficult to take a shower. The thing is…I've been given baths to get clean while living with Antonio. Before him the way I'd get clean was to jump into a pond or some other source of clean water. After two years of jumping into water to clean myself, I'm a bit rusty on actually taking a shower.

I'm not so dirty though, so I don't have to spend thirty minutes just trying to clean myself. I can just go in, quickly wash myself and shampoo my hair, and then get out.

Thankfully it worked out that way and I took maybe five or ten minutes to take my shower and dry myself off. "I'm done with the bathroom now." I let out a little yawn as I walked to the living room.

Antonio looked as though he was washing the dishes, from what I could see from the living room. He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. "That wasn't long at all."

"I told you I wouldn't be long, so you could use the bathroom before you left."

"Ah, thank you Lovino."

"Yeah." I slipped some random pair of shoes on my feet before looking up at Antonio. "I'm borrowing these shoes."

"Alright." He looked down at the shoes. "Are you leaving now?"

I nodded. "I have a lot of things to take care of today."

"If you'd like you can come to my restaurant at about one and we can eat some lunch together."

I glanced at the clock, trying to figure out what I'd be doing at what time. "I don't think I'd be able to make it."

"Alright, I'll make some supper for when you get back then." He scribbled something on a paper and handed it to me. I could see it was an address before I shoved it in my pocket. "I did promise you I'd write the address."

"Thanks. I'll see you tonight." I grabbed a baseball cap that I had found in the hall closet last night and slipped it on to cover my ears, slightly muffling things. Thankfully my hair hid the fact that I didn't have human ears.

I took my time as I headed to the library, mostly because I had no idea where it was. I was in no rush though. There was only one thing I needed from the library. An address that was pretty well hidden. My memory isn't the best, so I can't remember where he lives, and I can't figure out how to get there from this neighborhood.

* * *

Well doesn't this place look…pleasant…

Damn, why does it look so familiar to me?

Currently I was standing in front of a nice-sized two story house. It had a garden in the front that looks like it had been neglected for weeks. Damn! Why does this place look so familiar?

Pushing that thought aside, I knocked on the door.

"Get it you damn girl!" I heard the man shout from inside before I heard a crash.

"Yes sir."

No.

I pushed open the door, slamming it against the wall behind it. Thankfully the door hadn't hit the girl who had been going to answer it.

I stared at the girl down the hall, my eyes wide.

Her blonde hair that once was so beautiful and went down to her waist was now shoulder-length and looked as though it went through hell. There was no more light in her brown eyes, and no makeup at all on her face.

"Fuck Minna…Why did you let him find you?" I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around my best friend.

She didn't react at first, until she realized who I was.

"Lovi? Oh god Lovi. I missed you so much." She hugged me back, though it was fairly weak. "I haven't heard from you for a long time. I got worried that he had actually-"

"It's okay," I told her, petting her head. "I'm alive…I'm okay."

"Who was it bitch?" the male voice asked from where the living room was.

Now that I knew who was in this house, I recognized it…Minna lived here. She had inherited it from her favorite aunt who died when Minna was in her senior year of high school. The woman didn't have any kids of her own and loved Minna as her own child, taking care of her all the time while Minna's parents went out of town for their jobs, and that's how she ended up with such a beautiful house at such a young age.

"Treat her with some god damn respect you fucking bastard!" I shouted back at the man I hated with every bone in my body. Hell I hated him with every bone in _his_ body as well.

It was quiet for a moment and then it sounded like he was getting up. Instinctively, I pushed Minna behind me, slipping my address into her hand. "Don't tell him anything except that you're a friend of mine. He won't be back till six though, so lay low until then. Maybe get some cheap clothes for me. I'll tell you when it's safe to come home."

"Be careful Lovi," she whispered back to me before kissing the back of my neck and leaving the house, closing the door gently behind her.

I stood where I was until the man I hated stood at the entrance of the living room.

"Ah Lovi, you've returned to me." He held his arms out. "I knew you just couldn't stay away."

I didn't even try to hide my hatred for this man, preferring to cross my arms over my chest.

"My Lovi…I do know where Kiku lives." He grinned as my face faltered a bit. "Now how about that hug?"

Fucking damn it.

I took a few steps forward, into Sadiq's open arms. He closed them around me tightly.

"You were a naughty boy, leaving me for so long. Where did you go?"

"I don't remember," I answered. "The first thing I remember was hearing about you going after Kiku."

"You know you shouldn't lie to me." I was suddenly pushed away and kicked in the side. "I hate when you lie."

Fucking bastard. I hope one day your eyes are pulled from their sockets and you bleed to death.

I kept my mouth shut, using Minna's wall as a support to lean against. The guy was a fucking psycho; anything could set him off.

He walked over to me, setting his hand on my cheek. "I missed my toy." His hand slid from my cheek to my neck and I knew what would happen next.

I quickly took a breath right before he began to slowly squeeze my throat. My own hand went up to his, trying to tug it away from my neck. As expected though, he was still so much stronger than I am.

Feliciano, I'm so glad he's never gotten to you.

I closed my eyes, a contented look on my face.

You've never had to suffer because of this man.

Because I've always prevented it.

Always.

I even instigated sexual situations if he had seen you hug me in public, because seeing anyone else hugging me would piss him off so much. You'd cry if you knew…You'd be so upset, knowing half the stuff that Sadiq has done to me.

He's the reason for every scar on my body.

You'd be devastated if you knew he almost killed me once by slicing open my torso. He's the reason for that scar from my left shoulder to my right hip.

I almost didn't come home to you fratello.

I felt something against my own body and the hand released my neck, causing me to open my mouth for a breath of air. Maybe I should've opened my eyes before I took my breath. Maybe I would've seen how close Sadiq's face was to my own…

But I didn't, and he was kissing me, his tongue in my mouth and almost causing me to gag…He's done this so often. I don't believe I have much of a gag reflex anymore.

Sadiq grinded his body against my own, not that it really mattered. No matter what, by the end he'll end up with what he wants. It wouldn't matter if I wanted it or not.

I never wanted it.

I wanted it to end.

I felt as my hat was being knocked off then my shirt was being pulled up. He wouldn't notice the ears, they were flat against my head in fear. That and he'd be paying more attention to pleasuring himself. The tail I could easily lie and say I got surgery and it was a gift for him to play with…Fuck I'm going to be in more pain than usual.

He's going to try pulling the tail, just like he pulls my curl.

Trying to pull my curl off is like trying to pull my dick off…Not pleasant.

"I've had to settle for your little friend while searching for you these past few weeks," Sadiq whispered into my ear after pulling away.

My eyes snapped open. "You did what you fucker?" There was a grin on Sadiq's face.

"You heard me. She fought back too until she finally figured out what I can do, and who I can threaten to get my way."

"Who did you threaten?"

"Her dear sweet parents…They're in Europe at the moment, and I know their exact location."

"Leave her and her family out of this."

"Oh Lovi. You know I can't do that, or she may decide to squeal."

I felt something sharp pierce my side. "Just like I have to make sure you don't rat me out."

"I haven't," I let out, wincing as I felt the blade move a little. "I've never told anyone, and I continually deny all claims that you have anything to do with any of my injuries."

"Good…I won't have to hurt your little friend, who I saw was still alive with you. I can find him. You know I can."

"I know." The knife was pulled from my skin, causing me to wince again and put my hand over the wound. I let out a little groan as the knife was then stuck into my hip. The bastard hit a bone right there.

"What do you say to me for not searching for your little friend?"

"Thank you."

The knife was removed and brought to my face. "Look at your beautiful blood. How does it taste?" I hesitated, causing the knife to move closer to my face. "Don't make me scar that beautiful face of yours. You know how much I treasure it."

I didn't nod, but leaned forward, licking the blood off the knife. Licking it until the blade was completely clean of my blood.

"How did it taste?" He didn't give me time to answer before he kissed me again, sticking his tongue in my mouth to find the taste of my blood. I saw the grin on his face when he pulled back. "It was delicious Lovi."

Good for you fucker.

"Would you like another taste?"

No. "Yes."

"You're so obedient today…I won't make this one so deep." I felt him unbuttoning my pants and pulling the boxers down. Obediently, I lifted each leg so he could take them off, my tail hidden behind me. Once the clothes were off, he ran the blade over the skin on my lower stomach, making a path to my inner thigh. The blood, like with my other wounds, ran down my skin. It was probably something Sadiq got off on, but not me.

The blade was once again lifted to my lips, where I slowly licked the blood off.

The taste of blood was a strange thing…Why did it taste metallic? I think someone said something about the amount of iron…or something like that. I really don't know.

Or honestly care.

But it's better to think of this than the fact that I'm being dragged to Minna's room.

That's one thing I've done for a while. Anytime we were doing anything sexual, I'd let my mind wander…unless it was a time when Sadiq wanted me to do something, but he'd slap or cut me to catch my attention. So for the most part I could pull my mind away from the real word and away from the pain.

It took a little while to actually come up with the idea, but in the end it worked wonders. It made things more bearable and it made it so much easier to lie about the truth.

Sadiq doesn't rape me. At least not while I'm actually conscious about it.

And I allow him to use my body as he sees fit.

It's strange…It's rape, yet its not.

I don't want the sex, and yet I give my body to him.

Maybe it's because I know what would happen if I didn't. He'd take it anyway, leaving more scars than if I was compliant. And he'd also threaten those I love and anyone I was somewhat close to.

Is it still rape if I want it to protect others?

I think it is…but I'm okay with it, because I know that I'm strong enough to handle it. I honestly don't think Kiku would've been able to handle this like I can.

Heh.

You're welcome Kiku.


	14. Who's Next?

I glanced at the clock as I limped toward the front door quietly, while Sadiq was still asleep. It was about one in the morning.

Well…I did tell Antonio that I'd be late anyway. I do hope that he let Minna stay with him. She needs somewhere safe to stay until I can get Sadiq somewhere else.

It took a while, but I did find Antonio's apartment complex. It was a fairly large building with maybe six or so floors, all of the apartments probably being the same size as Antonio's. I used the elevator instead of the stairs, preferring not to walk as much as possible.

Before I had left Minna's house, I had managed to bandage my wounds. This way I'm not getting blood on Antonio's clothes.

I remembered that I came from the top floor when I left Antonio's home, so that's the floor I went to. And when I reached the door, I was not expecting what I found.

I had expected Antonio and Minna to be asleep, and everything to be quiet. It was completely the opposite. There was quite a bit of noise in there. Doesn't Antonio realize he has neighbors?

And why is it so loud?

I knocked on the door and noticed it quieted down a little bit. There was a meow from inside. What the hell? Was that Feliciano?

"Lovi?" the voice asked, causing me to hit my head against the door.

"Why are you here Feliciano?" I asked right before the door was open, causing me to stumble forward.

"Are you okay Lovi?" a female voice asked.

The female voice was a different one than the female currently holding/hugging me.

"Elizabeta?" I asked, looking over at her.

Indeed, there was Elizabeta sitting on Antonio's couch with her owner, big colorful wings coming out of her back. I was able to see the wings through the white button up she was currently wearing. What idiot gave her a white button up but no bra?

I swear some people are just dumb as bricks.

The least they could do was give her a different colored shirt.

"What the hell?" I asked, pushing Minna back a little. "I'm alright Minna, just don't go home yet."

She nodded and let me in, closing the door behind me. I looked around the room, seeing it had quite a bit of people.

"Where's Antonio?" I asked Elizabeta, limping over to sit on her other side. She motioned toward the kitchen where I could smell something cooking.

"Are you alright?" Roderich asked, watching me walk.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I hurt myself while cleaning out some things at Minna's house."

"Um, I kinda know what happened to you," Minna said, sitting in the recliner I loved sleeping on as a cat. Feliciano jumped up into her lap, watching me when he was comfortable. "Your friend Elizabeta showed up like she was and she explained things, and then Antonio was telling her about you."

Matthew flew from the kitchen, into the living room. The albino, meat wall, and my owner came out of the kitchen behind him.

"You're back Lovino," Antonio noticed with a smile. The smile didn't reach his eyes as I noticed him take in my appearance. "Did you take care of everything you needed to take care of?"

"Yes. I was trying to take care of a problem at Minna's house and ended up breaking something. I'm so late because I was trying to fix it." I knew no one believed the lie.

Not even my brother.

You don't exactly get a bite mark on your neck or a bruise forming on your cheek from fixing something in a house.

"Sorry, I left your hat at Minna's house," I apologized to Antonio.

"It's alright. I never wore the thing anyway. Do you want any food? I just finished making spaghetti, by your brother's request, for everyone."

"Yeah. Thanks, I'm starving."

"Let me help you Lovino," Elizabeta said, standing and helping me stand.

Everyone made their way to the kitchen, the humans at the table and counter. I allowed my brother to sit on the counter near my food, his own plate of spaghetti in front of him. Matthew was sitting on the counter next to Gilbert, who was trying to cut the food into pieces that he could eat.

"When did you break your curse?" I asked Elizabeta, who sat at the table with Roderich, Antonio, and Ludwig.

"Right as Roderich was heading to bed," she told me. "He was so sweet to me, even though I was just a bird in a cage…It made me happy that I was treated human once again."

I let out a chuckle, but winced when it irritated my wounds. "Sounds kinda like me…"

"Do you think maybe we've only half broken it?" she asked me. "I'd think if we actually did break the curse, we'd be completely human once again. Wouldn't you agree?"

I turned on the stool and leaned my back against the counter. "How do we know that we won't be stuck like we are though? Lukas and Matthew were only able to get a little bit of information on the curse."

"I'm sorry," Matthew apologized.

"It's not your fault," I told him. "You got more information than we did, and apparently two of us finally broke the curse on us…whether fully or halfway we're not sure."

I suddenly saw a naked leg to my right and I was thankful I sat on the end, otherwise my brother's naked ass would be in Minna's plate.

"I think you guys look adorable," Feli cooed, eating his food.

I glanced behind me seeing that he was actually eating _my_ food…That's no surprise.

"Keep your naked ass off the counter dumbass," I told him. "Stay an animal or get some clothes."

"Behave Lovino," Elizabeta gently scolded with a smile.

"You scold him. I won't want to eat off this counter after my brother's naked ass is on it…And you're eating my food Feli."

"You weren't eating it," he said, leaning forward a bit and smiling at me.

I shrugged, looking over at Antonio. "So, I can understand Elizabeta and her owner-"

"Please don't call me her owner," Roderich interrupted. "When she's like this it makes it so vulgar."

"Oh shut up. I understand those two, but why are the German bastards here?"

"Oh, um…Roderich called up Ludwig," Antonio answered. "And Gilbert is over there a lot…He was there when Roderich called. Ludwig told him to come to me, since I had the same issue…And then when he and Elizabeta got here, I explained to him –and Minna- about how I found you. Then Elizabeta explained about the curse and…yeah…."

"So I'm guessing she's seen Matthew and Feli change before. She doesn't seem so surprised by seeing Feli's naked ass next to me."

"We were playing a game earlier with it too!" Feli shouted happily.

"Fuck!" I covered my ear he was closest to. "Damn Feli! My ear is right fucking here!"

"I'm sorry fratello!"

"Stop that!" I smacked my brother, nearly causing him to drop the food in his hands. "I'm going to go deaf because of you." I looked back at Elizabeta. "So what're we going to do now? We're technically human…"

"As long as they keep us, I say we stay with them," she told me. "They do seem to be the ones to break the curse, even if this is halfway or something."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "We're still meeting the others?"

She nodded. "We're able to stay in touch now that you and I are human, or whatever we are, but they can't. And who knows, maybe some of the others may've been able to break the curse."

"Do you think it was broken halfway because it was only one-sided?" Matthew asked.

"Oh, I never thought of that," Elizabeta said, beginning to think.

"That is true," I admitted. "I was thanking Antonio for taking care of me and making me feel human, but he's never truly met me until after this happened…Not counting the beach house."

"Ve~ What're you guys talking about?" Feliciano whined.

"Turn back into a cat and you'll figure it out Feli." I glanced at Matthew then Elizabeta as my brother changed back into a cat, the plate of food now on the counter. "So, do you guys think it's up to them now?"

"That's what I believe," Elizabeta answered.

"I agree."

"Me too~" Feli added in.

"Shut up fratello."

"Behave Lovino."

"I don't want to."

"Guys please don't start."

I turned to Matthew and pointed behind me at my brother. "He ate my food! I'm allowed to be grumpy."

"You didn't want it fratello!"

"You can have some of mine Lovi," Minna said, moving her plate.

"No," I immediately said. "I know you hav-" Shit. "I'm um…Not hungry."

"You were just complaining about food," the albino bastard pointed out.

"Shut up you damn albino bastard."

"He has a point," Ludwig stated.

I groaned, getting up from my spot. "I'm going take a shower. Minna, I sleep on the couch, so you can have Antonio's spare room."

Minna got up and grabbed my hand, me leading her out of the kitchen.

"Your clothes are right there. I just grabbed a few of each. Hopefully you don't mind."

I grabbed the decent sized bag with my free hand. "It's fine…"

"Lovi-"

"Just don't go home…I can pay for you to stay at a hotel or something if Antonio doesn't let you stay for long. And I'll pay you back for the clothes."

"What happened?" she asked me.

"Nothing. Everything's fine. I just don't want you staying in that house."

"I know what he can do Lovi…"

I looked away from her as I stopped at the bathroom door. "It's nothing Minna. I'm fine. Everything that happened I wanted."

She grabbed my arm. "I don't believe you! He did things to me…I know he's done them and more to you."

"I wanted it!" I shouted back at her. "Fuck! I wanted everything he gave me! He wanted me, I wanted what he gave me! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Until you tell me the truth!" she shouted back. The light in her eyes was coming back stronger now. I saw it when I came back to Antonio's home, but it's stronger now that she's fighting back again.

"That is the truth!"

"You're a liar Lovi," she growled, grabbing my arm. "That's a lie. Why do you have a bruise on your face if you really wanted it?"

"I'm a fucking masochist. I have been for years."

"You liar…" She backed away from me. "You hated pain…Until the time when you met him, you couldn't handle pain without cursing up a storm. What has he done to you?" I didn't answer her. "What does he have on you?"

My brother.

That's what he has on me.

I will not risk him, no matter what.

"Why can't you tell me anything anymore?"

I ignored her, going into the bathroom and shutting the door in her face. I waited until I heard her walk away from the door before leaning against it.

"Because if I do you'd die," I whispered to myself, covering my face with my hand. "You and everyone I love would die before my very eyes…And…I won't risk Feliciano's life…He's the only reason I continue to hang on at all."

* * *

[Antonio's POV]

A little while after one door slammed, another slammed. I can only assume Lovino is in the bathroom and Minna went to the spare room.

"He's still not saying anything, even to Minna," Elizabeta told Feliciano.

Feliciano responded with some meows.

"Not even you?" She sighed, staring at the table. "Why won't he tell anyone what's wrong?"

Matthew must've been talking since he was tweeting.

"We've already guessed the cause, Matthew…And I'm sure we're right. The question is, why won't Lovino do anything about it? Why is he suffering?"

* * *

[Lovino's POV]

I held my side, leaning against the back wall of Antonio's shower with the hot water hitting me. My head was facing down, my eyes watching the blood run down my body and mixing with the water.

How often did I do this same thing two years ago?

I believe it was almost every day…I'd take a long shower, watching my blood go down the drain. By the time I actually got out of the shower most of my wounds would've stopped bleeding. The deeper cuts would still be bleeding, so I'd have to wrap those better than the lesser cuts.

Or with cuts like the one on my thigh, I'd wear more than one pair of pants or something and hope the wound didn't open again and bleed through…

It was times like that I completely understood what girls went through, always wanting to make sure they didn't bleed through their clothes on their periods. I remember Minna use to ask me if her pants or whatever she wore was okay while we were in school. She was always fine, though I suggested to her to wear something black when she was out of school, just in case.

She had never thought of it apparently.

I sometimes wonder about that girl.

She's so sweet, even putting up with me. It sucks that Sadiq finally decided to go after her, but as sad and fucking sick as it is to say…I'm glad it was her instead of Feliciano or Kiku.

Minna is a strong girl, despite being sweet she can be very defiant. She was capable of coming back from whatever Sadiq did to her. Kiku is definitely more fragile than her and wouldn't be able to take it.

My brother…I'd never let Sadiq come close to him. I don't think my brother could handle him.

"That fucking bastard," I growled to myself, sitting on the floor of the tub. The water continued hitting my face as I let my head rest against the wall with my eyes closed. "He just ruins lives. That's all that bastard is good for."


	15. Injuries in the Open

"Beg."

"Please Sadiq," I begged, on my hands and knees. "Please let me leave. I'll return tomorrow. I promise." My head was facing the floor, not wanting to look the man in the face.

He used his boot covered foot to lift my head to look up at him. He was currently sitting in the armchair in Minna's living room, and I was kneeling at his feet, begging him. The bastard wanted me to stay the night, but tonight is the night that I have to meet up with the others, and I'm already late.

He lifted his foot higher, causing me to look up at the ceiling now. It was definitely uncomfortable. "Be back before the sun rises tomorrow." He pushed with his boot, causing me to fall back onto my ass and gasp for breath. That was my fucking neck you pushed you bastard.

"Yes Sadiq," I gasped.

"Come here." I did as told, still trying to get breath in my lungs as I sat on Sadiq's lap with my legs on each side of him. He roughly tugged my head closer to his and kissed me just as roughly, biting my lip in the process and making it bleed. "You better be back here."

He pushed me off of him, causing me to fall backwards and hit my head against the floor. The carpet softened the impact, but my head still spun as I shakily got up.

Now let me say something…I don't know who's tried walking immediately after a blow to the head, but it is not easy. I ran into everything on the way to the door, and I was lucky not to get hit by traffic as I tried getting to the park all of us were supposed to meet up at.

And when I finally reached the park I'd end up hitting every tree I passed by and tripping over every stump.

"Is someone there?" Elizabeta's voice asked.

"Just me," I rasped out before coughing.

"Guys, change," Elizabeta told who I assume was the others.

I made it through some trees and leaned against the one I was closest to when I saw the others. The others were just finishing getting their clothes on. "Sorry I'm late."

"We had to wait on you," Natalia hissed.

"Oh shut up," I growled out before coughing again.

"Are you okay fratello?" Feliciano asked me.

"I'm fine Feli." I sat down, leaning against the tree I had used to keep my balance. The branches of the tree blocked the light from the moon, so no one saw any of my injuries.

"Anyone else broke their curse?" I asked Elizabeta.

She shook her head. "It's only you and I so far…Are you alright?"

I waved her off as Feli sat by me. "I'm fine. Just took a little spill."

"So, how did you guys break it?" Alfred asked. "Elizabeta didn't want to tell us anything until you got here."

"And you were an hour late," Natalia informed me.

"I wouldn't have guessed," I told her before turning my attention back to Alfred. "I broke mine when I was thanking Antonio for caring for me and making me feel human…"

"But you're not completely human, are you?" Lukas asked. "I can't see you that well since you're in the dark, but I know Elizabeta still has her wings."

"I still have my tail and ears…And according to Antonio, my teeth as well."

"We think it may be because it was only one side that felt complete that we may've been half cured," Elizabeta explained. "We felt complete, but they didn't, because they didn't know us."

I have a feeling my own curse won't ever be broken.

Why would it?

I'm cruel and people hate to be around me. When they get close I always push them away for some reason or another. And at the moment anything I do is for Sadiq. Everything goes to Sadiq.

Every.

Fucking.

Thing.

I barely even see Antonio anymore, except if he's awake when I get back late at night. I wake up earlier than him, so I haven't been seeing him in the mornings, though I do leave notes.

He leaves notes for me as well, normally near a plate of covered food or on the fridge.

That's how things have been since I've gone back to Sadiq. Apparently Minna was going to work again and is now going to be staying with a relative a few states away. She had left yesterday when I was gone.

The note she left me involved her telling me to be careful and that she'll keep in touch to make sure I was alright.

She was out of Sadiq's reach though, which is what I wanted. I can keep all of Sadiq's attention on myself and he wouldn't blink an eye on going after my brother or Antonio. Weird how I started caring so much about others lately…No…Just how I started caring about others.

It was only Feli in the beginning. He was all I ever needed, and I protected him from everything and everyone that could harm him. Then Minna came into the picture when we moved from Italy. She was the reason I began letting Feli go…Not permanently, but allowing him to experience everything.

But Feliciano was still my top priority.

Sadiq came into play after.

I took abuse. So much abuse.

Sexual.

Mental.

Physical.

I took it all for him. Because he's still my number one reason for staying here. If he hadn't been there, not even Minna would've stopped the overdosing. He wouldn't have been there to stop me from overdosing at home…Graduation would've been probably the farthest I would've gotten, if I had been lucky.

But Feliciano had been there. He stopped me. He saved me.

My brother saved me from myself. I save him from Sadiq.

I believe it's a fair trade.

"Lovino?"

"Huh?" I looked up at Elizabeta, who had called my name.

"I asked your opinion…Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"Are you sure fratello?" Feliciano asked me.

"Yeah. Quit asking."

"Lovi…"

He suddenly changed back to a cat, his clothes falling off.

Why does fifteen minutes seem so short now?

"Lovi, you smell a lot like blood…Are you okay?"

"Why is everyone asking me that? Yes, I'm fine Feliciano. I cut myself."

"Come over here," Lukas ordered before turning into a dog himself. The others turned back into animals as well.

"No."

"If you are okay then you'd have no problem walking where we can see you."

"I ran here and I am tired," I huffed. "I don't want to get up."

"Tino, do you mind?"

Tino looked over to Lukas then back in my direction. "Alright."

"You two stay away," I growled, trying to back away. Sadly, I was leaning against a tree and couldn't back away.

Both dogs continued advancing on me, so I turned to try to crawl on my knees away from them, only for my right leg to give out. Out of all the fucking times it could give out, it gave out now? And to make matters worse, I had lost my balance and hit the tree. It fucking hurt my side and made me groan.

"Just do it the painless way," Heracles stated, coming around some trees.

"Sorry we were late…We got lost and met up at another park," Eva stated from Heracles's back.

"How long have you guys been here?" Matthew asked as Lukas pulled at my left pants leg.

Tino copied Lukas and tried pulling me, though being human I was slightly stronger than them…Sadly being injured and weak made me weaker than normal and about their strength anyway.

"We were in hearing distance when you guys were making sure Lovino was alright," Heracles answered.

The guys were getting the upper hand on me. That wasn't good. They'd see the bruises…And the blood seeping through my clothes and on my skin.

"Guys stop," I managed to get out. Ugh, being dragged across the ground was hurting and aggravating my injuries.

"Then do it yourself," Lukas growled through denim, not letting go. He and Tino continued dragging me out of the cover that the trees gave me and into the light the moon shone out.

"What's happening to you Lovi?" Elizabeta asked once I was finally in the light. I didn't bother moving my already tired limbs. They already saw the bruises and blood, and I was in too much pain to even move.

Well that and I can't exactly feel my right leg. How does someone walk when they can't feel one of their legs?

"I'm a klutz," I answered. The answer was always somehow the same no matter how many times it was asked.

'I'm a klutz.'

It may be worded differently at times, but it all meant the same thing. And no one really ever believed it.

I felt a wing touch my arm and looked at Matthew.

"That's a lie…What's happening to you?"

"No offense man but it looks like you went through hell and back three times over," Alfred pointed out.

"It's nothing," I lamely fibbed, still not moving.

I'd only have possibly four or five hours from now to get any rest at all since Sadiq wants me back before sunrise. That meant that I only had at the most five hours of sleep I could get. But with my injuries it'd take an hour just to get from Antonio's to Minna's home. That's not counting actually getting to Antonio's home and taking a shower over there.

My best bet would be just to go to Minna's and take a shower there and sleep on the couch until Sadiq found some twisted way to wake me up.

That could be anything from being stabbed in the side to slowly carving a path with a knife until I was awake.

Either way it'd be hell.

I normally wake up pretty early…unless I was around Sadiq, who kept me up so late, even if he wasn't awake. He'd make me do chores or something just to keep me awake. And then as soon as he was awake, I had to be awake or he'd do one of his sick methods to wake me up.

One of his methods involved carving each letter of my name into different parts of my body. Thankfully they just looked like normal scars unless you were really looking at them and knew what they were.

'L' was carved in the nape of my neck.

'O' was in my left hip.

'V' was around my belly button.

'I' was under my right foot on the heel.

'N' was in the palm of the left hand.

'O' was carved into my right hip.

Oh his humor was fascinating…Let's fucking put both O's in Lovino's name on each fucking hip! That way he's fucking even!

Fucker.

"Lovi?"

"Yeah?" I grumbled into the ground to my brother.

"Maybe you should go back home and relax."

"I'll go when everyone else goes. I'm not weak."

"We never said you were," Elizabeta defended. "You're strong for getting here like you are."

"This is nothing." I didn't bother to lift my head from the ground, but I knew everyone heard. And even the idiot Alfred knew what that meant. That meant that I've suffered much worse.

Ugh…this thinking is making my fucking head hurt after that horrible meeting with the floor. Bastard didn't want to let me leave.

Will he let me leave next time?

He better.

I felt a hand on the back of my head, causing me to wince.

"Lovino…"

"Don't worry about it Elizabeta."

I still never bothered looking up.

"There's a bump…Did you hit your head."

"Yes."

"Are you sure it's wise to be walking around with it? You might have a concussion."

If I had been lucky it would've knocked me out and Sadiq would've left me on the floor for a few hours. Sadly, it didn't knock me out and I was fully conscious and aware of the pain. "I got here didn't I?" Just barely…But I did get here.

Though that one car came pretty close to running me over.

I wonder what color it was…Probably some boring color…like grey.

I pushed myself up to finally sit up, finding out it wasn't easy. It especially wasn't easy to stay up, though Elizabeta made it easy for me and sat behind me wordlessly so I could lean back.

"Thank you," I sighed under my breath before leaning heavily back.

She didn't answer me.

"So getting back to the subject at hand, how will we fully cure ourselves?" Alfred asked. "I'm pretty sure that our owners are already 'complete.'"

"Maybe it'd just be strong feelings?" Elizabeta suggested.

"Of what? Affection?" I turned my head slightly to try to look at her. "Lukas and Matthew found out it didn't have to be love."

"I'm not suggesting that. I'm suggesting strong feelings, whether friendship or something more. Maybe that's what this half cured point you and I are in is for. It allows our owner to get to know us and develop these feelings."

But now that I'm mostly human I can't spend any time with Antonio. And that time will continue being less and less until eventually Sadiq has me fully in his clutches. At least I was able to become partially human. That's probably the best I'm going to get.

I can try to hope, but honestly my heart wouldn't be in it.

Give it a year…My heart won't be in my chest either probably.

Sadiq's sick in the head like that. He'd probably get off on that. Hell, I think he'd get off on anything that required pain.

Sadist.

Haha so fucking ironic.

Sadiq.

Sadist.

So fucking close to each other.

The man gets horny by hearing me scream in pain, so him being a sadist would not surprise me in the least. Sick ass bastard.

What's so sad is that I've already become use to the pain again. I've fallen back into my old habit of guessing what my next scar would be as well. Besides the ones I'm sure to get from the past week, I think the next one will be my neck. He hasn't left a scar anywhere near there for a while.

We continued speaking for another hour or so about what we thought may happen, along with occasional conversations about random crap and some arguing.

"Alright, we'll meet again same time, same place," Elizabeta told everyone as she moved.

I took my weight off of her, which I had had on her the whole time, and she stood up. Once she was up she helped me…I was stuck leaning against her because my right leg was hurting when I'd put too much pressure on it.

"Can you get back home alone fratello?" Feliciano asked me.

"Yeah." I shrugged Elizabeta's arm off with a muttered thanks.

I'd be heading back to Minna's house anyway since I have maybe two hours or so before sunrise. With my hurting leg I'd take longer getting where I need to, so it'd just be easier to go straight to Minna's. I could also possibly get a little bit of sleep in as well.

We all dispersed, me slowly limping my way back to Minna's house. It was pretty difficult to make my way there, since I couldn't exactly lean against things when there was nothing.

I did make it there in one piece though. And when I was finally inside, I went straight to sleep on the couch, hoping for a few hours of rest.


	16. I Do It All for You

That bruise looks horrible…

I was staring in the bathroom mirror at Minna's house, looking at a bruise that was forming on my stomach from a kick.

I had gone to Antonio's night before last and found that his door was locked. So, instead of waking him up, I left a note I had written under his door.

The note was letting him know I was alright and I would be back within the week. It also said not to worry about me.

Let's hope that stops him from worrying like I know he will.

The reason I left him the note was because I couldn't talk with him face to face with the current noticeable injuries I have, especially with how fresh they looked. He'd question them.

I'm sure he knows the basis of what's happening to me.

Rape.

Abuse.

Threats.

But he doesn't need to know by who or why I keep it from everyone.

"Lovino!" Sadiq shouted from upstairs, causing me to sigh. The bastard was supposed to still be asleep right now. Why was he shouting this loud at seven in the morning?

"Fucking bastard," I growled to myself. "Coming!" I slipped on the shirt I've been hand washing for the past week that I've been here. Sadiq didn't like the noise of the washer and dryer at night and that was the only time I was allowed to wash my clothes.

So I got to hand wash my clothes every night before going to bed.

I made my way up to Minna's-now Sadiq's- room to find out what he wanted.

"I want you to get a job again," he told me as soon as I entered his room. He held his arms out to the side, meaning 'come the fuck here or you're fucked.' It looked way too innocent for the meaning it had. Despite the meaning though, I did go to him, sitting in his lap with my legs on either side of him and my arms around his neck.

"What kind of job would you like me to get?" I leaned down, kissing his neck.

He let out a hum, apparently enjoying the feeling. "A waiter, like you were before. I love seeing you in their uniforms."

"I can't get any injuries," I told him, my voice mumbled by his skin. "They sometimes make the waiters wear white and you could get caught if anything were to happen and a cut would bleed through." I nuzzled my face into his shoulder.

"You defy me, you'll be beat till an inch from death," he told me. That means no more cutting or injuries, but if anyone managed to get something on him and he suspected me of it, I'd be wishing for death.

"Yes Sadiq. Thank you."

"At eight, after you make my meal, I want you to go searching for a job."

"Yes Sadiq."

"But until then…"

Shit. Not this _again_.

* * *

"Did you get a job?"

"I have to give them time to call," I answered, walking to the living room. Sadiq was sitting in the recliner he always seemed to like sitting in. "It could be hours, days, weeks, even months."

"How many places did you apply at?" He beckoned me to sit on his lap…His lap is not fucking comfortable! And I don't want to sit there!

Nevertheless, I sat on his lap like I did this morning, with my hands around his neck in a, sadly, affectionate way. "Every restaurant in town." How many places did you expect me to have gone? It's nine at night. I didn't go one place then just fucking sit in the sun for the rest of the time. My poor cat ears would've baked in my baseball hat. And I'm fucking starving because I didn't eat, just so I could have the time to apply everywhere.

And not just that, I had used Minna's makeup to cover my noticeable bruises…Fucking makeup.

"Did you get any interviews?"

"About three after I filled out the applications."

"Do they look promising?"

"One does. He liked that I knew a foreign language." That and all the female workers were watching our interview from around the place. I'm pretty sure they're going to pressure the guy who interviewed me into hiring me.

It's a pretty classy place, so the tips must be pretty nice.

I hope Sadiq doesn't take my money though. Even though I have all that money, I don't want Sadiq taking any of it.

Inherited or earned. It's not his.

He didn't even know about the inherited money either. If he learned of it, all of it would be gone and he'd be fucking loaded.

I'll be damned if I ever let that happen.

"Good. The sooner you get into those waiter outfits, the better." His hands dug into my sides as he held me. The man was never gentle for anything. "And all your money will go to buying my food and whatever I like, agreed?"

"Yes Sadiq."

Shit, there goes any good meals I may get. No wait, Antonio left me food when I'd get home late. I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing it again. I can just tell him that I got a job and worked really hard, so I was hungry when I got home.

But I don't want to burden him. He'll be buying for two people, one of which isn't even pulling his weight around the place. Maybe I'll make breakfast for him when I wake up. That's the least I can do for him since he accepted me, even being cursed and gone half the time. Maybe I'll make something for him while he's sleeping at night and leave it in the fridge for him to heat up.

Hell, I'll pull money from my account and try to sneak some food to his house without getting caught by Sadiq. This way I can help out Antonio, even if just a little.

A tug to the back of my head brought me out of my musings.

"Planning on how to sneak money away from me?"

I let out a little grunt of displeasure at having my hair tugged. "No Sadiq. It's just been a long day and I'm very tired."

A frown appeared on his face. "I guess you can go to sleep early this one night. If you're tired you can't make me as much money."

"Thank you Sadiq."

The hand behind my head pushed me forward for a rough kiss before it let go of my hair. "Now get out of my sight."

I did as he said, getting off of his lap and leaving the room to head up to the spare bedroom. No way in hell I'd sleep in the same bed as that bastard more than I had to. And I had to stay here long enough for somewhere to call. Minna's house is the only number I had to work with, and I was hoping she hadn't changed it.

If she did I was screwed.

The phone began ringing as I reached the top step of the stairs.

"Answer the phone!" the bastard ordered from his spot he probably hadn't moved from.

Maybe it's the police and they had the place surrounded. They were calling me to stay in a separate room so they could come in and kill the bastard. Yeah…And then they could burn the body…

I wish.

I walked to the end of the hall where there was a phone on an end table and answered it.

"Hello?" If you're the police, I will drop to my knees before you and kiss your feet.

"Yes, this is Tina," a woman on the other line stated. Policewoman? Preferably one with huge breasts? "You spoke with Drake earlier today."

"Um…Who?"

"You are Lovino Vargas, correct?" she asked. "The young Italian man who applied at our restaurant today?" Damn, not the police.

I figured as much though.

Though if that means I have a chance of working at that restaurant…I get to work with many boobs. This pleases me.

"Oh! Yes ma'am. I'm sorry; it's just been a long day for me."

"That's no problem at all sir. I was calling to ask if you wouldn't mind returning tomorrow for a follow up interview."

"That would be great. What time would you like me to be there?"

"Would twelve work for you? I'll be able to interview you myself at that time."

"That's perfect for me. Thank you."

"Thank you sir. Good bye."

"Good bye."

I hung up the phone, glad I'd have a very high chance at a job within the next few days. That means less of seeing Sadiq during the day.

"Who was that?" Sadiq shouted up to me.

"Someone calling for me to go in for an interview tomorrow."

"Good."

And with that I made my way back down the hall. Since I no longer had to wait for a call-I'm almost positive I'm getting that job- I'm not staying here for the night. Antonio should still be awake at the moment.

He sometimes went to bed at nine, but there were times he went to sleep at ten and eleven at night. That meant there was a chance I could catch him before he went to sleep, and maybe I can take a shower as well.

The fucker over here can wait until after my interview tomorrow to see me again. Sadly, he'd probably want congratulatory sex…Congrats to him for me getting a job to make money for him.

Bastard.

I hate him.

A lot.

There is no end to how much I hate the bastard.

The walk to Antonio's was pretty quiet since it was just me, with no one to talk to. But that just let me think and decide how I was going to lie my way through the bruise on my face. I'm pretty sure the makeup is still covering it, but I don't know how I'll hide it tomorrow.

No wait, I'll just go get some with the money from my family's account. And I can keep the makeup hidden in Antonio's house for when I do get bruises, though they should stop soon.

Last time my bruises were all on my chest, legs, and arms in places that could be covered. If they couldn't be covered I'd have to lie.

"Ma'am, do you think you can help me?" I asked the female worker near the register. She looked to be putting up some candy on the shelf near the register.

"Yes sir?" she asked, obviously eyeing me.

"Do you know anything about makeup?" That seemed to confuse her. "I'm trying to look for a color to match my skin tone."

"Um, this way sir." I followed her down an isle and she turned her head to look at me. "Do you want a cheaper brand?"

"I want whatever covers up the best."

"I find that this works wonders," she answered, pointing at some brand name I'd have to remember but probably wouldn't. She looked through the different containers, looking over at me every once in a while, before finally deciding on one. "This looks to match your skin color the best. Are you looking for anything else?"

"Medicine?" I asked.

"In the back sir. If you need anything else, just ask me. I'll be in the front near the register."

"Thank you ma'am."

I headed to the back, like she had told me, and grabbed some medicine that seemed pretty decent. I wasn't being picky.

If I was, I would've decided not to grab the medicine at all. I promised myself I wouldn't do this again…I'll only do it tonight. It's not sleeping pills this time, so I should be fine for the interview tomorrow.

"Come again, sir," the woman told me as I was beginning to walk away.

"You have a nice night ma'am."

She smiled and her face reddened a little. "You too sir." Just as I was leaving, I heard a little giggle.

She seemed like such a sweet girl.

A sweet girl who let me buy medicine I'm going to overdose on.

I walked slowly toward Antonio's house, opening the container and taking probably six pills, swallowing them one after another. This will be the only time I do this…

I hope.

Some habits are hard to break, and if you manage to actually break it…One thing can bring it back.

Sadiq brought this back. He's stressing my body out and I need some release.

I don't want to leave Feliciano though…I won't take enough to kill myself. I don't want to die. Not until I know he has someone so he's not alone. As long as whoever it is takes care of him…I don't think I'd honestly care who it would be.

"Lovino?"

That voice. I remember it.

"Eva?" I asked, turning to see the tiny girl. She was standing beside her owner, Vash, in some clothes that seemed to be a little too big for her. I could see that there were small bulges behind her, meaning she had her wings still. "You too?"

She nodded. "Vash called Roderich when I changed, and he came over with Elizabeta, explaining a few things. They sent us to go find Antonio…Elizabeta said that you were the first to be half cured."

I motioned with my head. "I'm heading there now, you guys can follow me."

"So, you were Antonio's pet from what I've gathered?" Vash asked.

"Yeah, Basilio." I looked over at Eva. "Did Elizabeta tell you that you can still change back into your animal form?" She shook her head. "Matthew, Feliciano, and I figured it out when I first changed. We wanted to see if I could become more human."

"You look perfectly human to me."

I took off my hat to show my ears and looked over my shoulder at Vash. "And my tail is hiding uncomfortably in my pants. Currently it's in my left pants leg. And apparently I have a few of my cat teeth as well."

He nodded. "This is just a little weird…It was worse when I had no idea what had happened and there was a naked girl in my living room."

"I knew Elizabeta had changed, and Vash knows Roderich, so I suggested that he call them," Eva explained. "He managed to explain a few things and said that he'd join us at Antonio's later. He wanted to get a jacket at his home since it was getting colder."

A sigh escaped my lips as I set my hat back on my head. "I have a feeling Antonio's place will end up being where everyone meets all the time."

"Well he is very nice."

I chuckled at that. "That's true. And when company comes over, he tends to make food for everyone." I entered the building that we were near, Vash and Eva behind me. I clicked for the elevator and we waited silently for it.

When it arrived we all stepped in, and I was a bit surprised when Vash clicked the button for Antonio's place.

"You know what floor Antonio's apartment is on?"

"He's had a party or two that I've gone to. I remembered which floor it was on. I'm thankful we ran into you, because I couldn't remember where his apartment complex was located."

"I have an easier time finding it at night to be honest," I admitted. "When I'd sneak out as a cat to meet with the others, it was at night, and I became use to seeing it like that."

He nodded his head. "Makes sense."

The elevator dinged and we made our way to Antonio's place.

"Antonio," I called, knocking on the door. "It's Lovino."

"Fratello?"

"Oh god how often are you here when I'm not around Feli?" I groaned to myself as my brother slammed open the door.

Right before I was pulled in the apartment, I saw the cat ears on his head. When I got my bearings back, I saw that Matthew was also in the apartment and had small yellow wings coming out of his back.

Antonio, Ludwig, and Gilbert were all sitting on the sofa across from the one Matthew sat on.

"I brought you two more, and Roderich and Elizabeta are coming over soon as well," I told Antonio, pushing my brother away from me. He was going to kill me with a hug one day. "I see you and Matthew also managed to half break the curse."

"Yeah!" Feliciano cheered, pulling down his pants and revealing his tail.

I heard a little gasp behind me, causing me to smack my brother. "Eva is in here. She doesn't need to see your naked ass."

"But I was just showing her my tail."

I let out a sigh and turned to grab Eva's hand. "You can sit next to Matthew. At least he's sane."

She nodded and let me lead her to the sofa, Vash following to sit next to her.

"What's in the bag Lovino?" Antonio asked, taking note of the bag dangling from my arm.

"Nothing important." I started heading for the bathroom, to hide the things, but my brother beat me to it.

He dug in the bag, pulling the medicine bottle out.

I knew that look in his eyes.

It wasn't happiness.

It was recognition.

"Lovi."

"It's not what you think."

He opened the container, looking into it. "Lovi…how many did you take?"

"I only took two."

"I'll count them. If you only needed two, you would've waited until you got here to take some from Antonio."

"I told you I only took two."

He gave me a look, silently telling me he didn't believe me.

"Knock knock," Elizabeta's voice called right before she knocked. "Antonio?"

"The door's open," Antonio called, looking away from Gilbert and Ludwig. Apparently he had been having a conversation with them after noticing my brother and I were talking.

The door opened, revealing Elizabeta and Roderich.

"You told me you wouldn't do it anymore. How many did you take?"

"Not enough to kill me," I hissed at him. "Now drop it."

"Not until you tell me."

"What's wrong?" Elizabeta asked, walking over to stand by Feli. Her wings were out in the open behind her since she was wearing a strapless dress. There was a jacket in her arms.

"Nothing."

"Why're you lying to me Lovi? And why're you taking them again?"

"Stress. I'm going in for an interview tomorrow and I took six. Are you happy now?"

"You said you wouldn't."

"It's only once!"

"When you get into an addiction it's hard to get off of them!" Feliciano shouted back at me. He was a mix between angry and disappointed right now. "I knew it would happen again…I just knew it."

"I'm not trying to kill myself this time. I just needed it."

"You do it once and you'll continue doing it. You don't need to try to kill yourself fratello. The pills would gradually do it for you."

I growled and turned to face away from him.

"I saw what was happening to you over two years ago Lovi. You starved yourself. You injured yourself. You overdosed on pills. You were trying to kill yourself! And you never tell me why!"

"It's for you damn it!" I shouted, turning to glare at him. "I fucking do it all for you! Every damn thing I do is for you! Haven't you fucking figured that out?"

He stared at me, his eyes wide.

"Lovi…"

"I stopped it all because you needed me. But I did it all for you."

Elizabeta touched my arm. "What do you mean Lovino? How did hurting yourself have anything to do with Feliciano?"

"I did it so he didn't have to feel the pain."


	17. Finding Out

**AN: Happy day late Hetalia Day~**

* * *

It had been quiet after that little argument last night, so I had slept in the guest bedroom. I didn't want to deal with everyone asking anything. Though they all decided to leave about twenty minutes later, and the only thing Antonio told me was that he was going to bed.

I did make Antonio breakfast this morning though.

"I won't ask you anything," he told me, causing me to look up from my own breakfast. "I am concerned, but it's your life and I won't pry into it."

I stared at my food a little bit. "Thank you." We ate silently for a few minutes. "Everything I do is for my brother to be safe." I glanced up, meeting with Antonio's surprised eyes. "Everyone always chose my brother first…And I use to hate that…And then I was happy for the one time I was chosen first. Because I was chosen my brother doesn't have to hurt. I can be of some use to him."

Antonio smiled, putting his fork down and reaching across the table to touch my hand that was resting on the table. "You're a wonderful brother to Feliciano."

I smiled back. "At least I'm good at something."

His smile faltered a little. "I'm sure you're good at something."

I shook my head, moving my hand from Antonio's. "Just caring for my brother." I finished up my food and stood up to put my dishes in the sink. "Want me to do the dishes?"

"That's alright. You said you were going to an interview today. Go get ready for it; I'll do the dishes. I'm off today anyway."

"Thanks. I may be a bit late again today, but I'll be coming back every day."

"I'll make sure to save you something from supper then. Do you mind hamburgers?"

"That's fine." I headed toward the spare bedroom, which held my few amount of clothes. I grabbed something that looked decent and headed to the bathroom, where I ended up borrowing Antonio's brush to take care of my hair.

It only took about five or so minutes to take care of everything I had to take care of.

"I still have a few hours left," I told Antonio, who was currently washing dishes. "Want help with that?"

"Ah, thanks."

I walked over and helped him by drying the dishes then picking them up while he washed them.

* * *

I walked slowly back to Minna's house…I guess I can stop calling it that by now. It's technically Sadiq's now that he drove her out of it.

Anyway, I now had a job at a place called Romano's. It's not as nice as Veneziano…But it'd do. And there were a lot of lovely boobs…I mean women… Oh what the hell. There were enough boobs there to please even me. And they seemed pretty pleased I was there too.

The women, not their boobs…Though I'm sure their boobs appreciate me as well.

Oh and I was allowed to wear a hat as well. It just had to be black and if it had any writing, they'd like it to be the name of the place. I can understand that.

That meant I'd be able to hide my ears without much hassle. The tail wasn't much to worry about since it was always tucked into a pants leg.

I didn't bother knocking once I reached my hell. Like Sadiq would lock the door…I think anyone who tried to rob this house would regret meeting Sadiq. I'd actually feel sorry for whatever bastard tried that.

"Who is it?" Sadiq asked from the living room. I could hear that the TV was on some show with gunshots. Just what he needed. More ideas on what to do to me.

"Me," I answered, coming around the corner to the living room. "I've gotten the job."

The grin on his face told me that he was pleased with that answer. "Good. I've been running low on what I got out of that bitch that lived here. I need some more knives."

I walked over to him, sitting on the arm of the chair. "Would you like me to buy them for you, so that you won't have to?"

I was suddenly punched in the side, causing me to fall from my spot and cough. "Do you think I'm fucking lazy?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry Sadiq. I just meant it so that you can exert your time to more important things. Shopping is for weaker beings, like me." Sadiq grinned, leaning over the side of the chair and grabbing my chin, tugging my face in his direction to look at him.

"Good. You know your place Lovino." He let go of my chin, giving me a thoughtful look. "When do you start your job?"

"Next week."

"Get me a knife from the kitchen."

* * *

[Matthew's POV]

I don't want to watch this anymore.

Sadiq was cutting up Lovino's back, carving Lovino's name into him. Blood was getting onto the coffee table that Lovino was laying on. He was writhing and yelling out in pain, but he wasn't trying to get away.

"This sounds sick," Gilbert muttered to me. He was trying not to be seen, so I was as a bird right now, sitting on a low branch in the tree. I could see perfectly into the living room. Currently though I was looking at Gilbert, who was standing a little bit from the window. He didn't want to be heard by Lovino, who had good hearing because of his cat ears.

I nodded my head in agreement with him.

I couldn't talk to him right now, but I'd be telling him everything I saw later, and then we'd get the others together so we could tell them as well…

We just can't let Lovino continue like this. After last night, we all quietly agreed to help him in any way we can. Antonio, who Lovino lived with, wouldn't be snooping like the rest of us would try doing. He was just going to try to make things as easy as possible for Lovino.

Moaning came from inside, causing me to glance into the window again. The moaning had come from Lovino.

Sadiq had one of his hands in the back of Lovino's pants, of which I didn't want to imagine what he was doing…Though sadly I know what he was doing. The other hand was holding the knife in front of Lovino's mouth.

He was licking his own blood from the knife.

Oh god, this is just sick.

And he doesn't even seem bothered by the blood, from the knife or leaking down his back. It's like he's use to it. His eyes seem distant, but other than that, the feeling of blood flowing down his back just didn't seem to even catch his attention.

"I want to taste your blood Lovino," we vaguely heard from inside the building. Thankfully the window had been unlocked and Gilbert had opened it as soon as Sadiq's attention had gone to Lovino. So we've been able to hear everything since we got here, which was at the same time as Lovino.

Sadiq was kissing Lovino, his hand that wasn't in Lovino's pants was digging into the injuries on his back, the knife now on the floor. He was just causing the injury to bleed more.

And Lovino had to deal with this all the time?

"I want a sharp dagger," Sadiq spoke before biting Lovino's upper arm.

Both of Lovino's hands went around Sadiq's neck in an affectionate way. "Do you want one with a design on the blade? Or one with an elegant hilt?"

"I don't give a fuck. As long as it can cut through things like butter. You know I don't actually care what it looks like."

"As long as you can cover my blood with it, it's fine. Would you like kitchen knives then? I can get much more for a cheaper price."

"No. The ends tend to chip if I hit bone with it."

"I can get higher quality knives."

He can talk about knives that would be used on him so casually…

"I said no kitchen knives." Sadiq removed his hands from Lovino and stood up, only to kick Lovino in the side and right off the coffee table. He had been kicked away from the window, thankfully, and neither noticed the barely opened window.

Lovino didn't answer him, or even move.

Sadiq grabbed him by the hem of his pants, the only clothing he was currently wearing, and pulled him up-so effortlessly- to stand.

"Off."

Immediately Lovino began pulling off his pants.

I wouldn't watch this.

I flew from the branch to Gilbert's shoulder, shaking my head. It was a signal we had agreed on that meant that it was too much for me to watch any longer and that we'd leave.

He nodded and started walking away from the building, staying silent as we walked in the direction of Antonio's apartment. The silence was broken when he pulled out his cell phone and called someone though.

"Hey Roderich, it's me Gilbert. Get Elizabeta, Vash, and Eva to Antonio's place."

"You found out something?" I heard from the phone.

"Heh…If it's as bad as I think it is, I can understand why he took so many pills last night."

"Alright. I'll call Vash right now and we'll head over there. At least you gave us a heads up and told us all to call in."

"Yeah, I figured it'd be best, since Tony told me that Lovino's coming back at night, and he'd suspect something if he saw us all getting together."

They talked for a minute more before hanging up. Gilbert called Ludwig right after though, telling him to bring Feli when he went to Antonio's.

"You may be able to help your buddy Mattie," Gilbert told me, petting the top of my head with his finger.

* * *

I had just finished telling everyone what I had seen through the window.

"It's just…It seemed like a normal thing for him to just lick his own blood off the blade," I whispered, my wings opening and curling to try to encircle me. They were too small to do that, so they only covered to my shoulders. "And Sadiq just carving into his back."

"I knew it was bad," Elizabeta admitted, her big wings curling around her body. She had worn a jacket over her strapless dress to get to Antonio's place. Apparently it was easiest to get in and out of those outfits from what she told me. And her wings weren't as uncomfortable in those outfits. "But I never thought it was so bad."

"I've seen a lot of his scars," Feliciano admitted. "They're all over his body. I don't think he knows that I've noticed them…When we'd change though, and he had no clothes, I'd see them…Did you know his name was already scarring his skin?"

"I didn't see any other place that had his name," I told him.

He shook his head.

"It's not all in one spot…And I found them at different times…He has an 'L' at the nape of his neck, an 'O' carved into each hip, a 'V' right under his belly button, an 'I' under his right foot, and an 'N' in the palm of his left hand. They're all fairly light and barely noticeable. He has a lot more too, and most are just as light and barely noticeable unless you're looking for them…I never knew how bad it was though…Lovi is always so tough…And he did it all without a fight…"

"I feel for the guy," Gilbert admitted. "I wouldn't be able to handle that."

"He's so sweet," Eva spoke up. I could see that her wings moved under the button up shirt green shirt she wore. "He doesn't deserve being hurt."

The phone rang, scaring half of us with the unexpected noise.

"Sorry," Antonio apologized, getting up to answer it. "Hello?"

There was some calm talking on the other side.

"Ah yeah…Ludwig is over here, and so is Roderich. That may explain why you couldn't get in touch with them."

There was more talking, though from a different voice.

"Ah yeah, we know about them. You remember the way to my apartment, right?" He waited a moment. "Yeah, just bring him with you…" More talking. "Alright. See you in a few minutes. Bye."

He hung up the phone before turning to look at us.

"Apparently Kiku had a pet that turned out to be one of you."

"Heracles had his curse half broken," Eva said with a smile. "I'm so happy for him."

"How many of you are there?" Gilbert asked.

"There's my brother Alfred," I said.

"There's also Natalia," Elizabeta added.

"And Tino and Lukas," Feliciano said with a smile.

"I think that's it," Elizabeta stated. "At least that we know of."

"Who're all of these people with?" Roderich asked.

Ludwig nodded. "I think it'd be easier to know who has a cursed pet so we know who we can keep an eye on."

"Alfred is with Arthur," I told everyone.

"Well he won't really want to come here," Antonio told me, sitting back down in his spot. "What about the rest?"

"Tino is with a fellow named Berwald, I believe," Elizabeta said. "Lukas…With a Mathias I think?" She looked at me, and I nodded. "And Natalia by Ivan and his sister Sofia."

"Ivan scares the shit out of me," Gilbert admitted, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Natalia and Lovi don't exactly get along very well," Feli told his owner/roommate. "They're always fighting when we all get together. He says she's crazy…She's pretty scary though."

"Well when they become human, they can just mention our owners' names and then we can go from there," Elizabeta told everyone. "No need to worry about it right now."

A few minutes passed like that until someone knocked on the door.

"The door's open!" Antonio called to them.

The people who came in were Kiku and Heracles. Heracles had cat ears on the top of his head, matching the color of his hair, and I could only assume he had a tail like Lovino and Feliciano.

"Oh, so many of you are here," Heracles said. He glanced around. "Where are Natalia and Lovino?"

"Natalia hasn't broken the curse like we did," I told him. "And um, Lovino is busy at the moment."

"Oh, is he planning on joining us?"

"We don't think so…"

"Maybe we should explain what's been happening, hmm?" Elizabeta suggested.

"That may be best," Kiku replied with a nod.

* * *

[Lovino's POV]

My fucking back.

Ugh, I hope Minna doesn't mind that I took three of her shirts. She ran out of things to wrap my injuries up with, so I was stuck with cleaning the wound carefully then shoving myself into three shirts then putting my own shirt on top of them. I looked a little bulky.

Despite the pain, I chuckled to myself.

Even if life hated me right now, I could still laugh.

Even if things went wrong, I could still laugh.

Even if I was on my deathbed, I could still laugh.

It's my life. I chose how to live it. I took everything life has thrown at me and lived through it. I beat the odds.

The laughter didn't last long though and I was pretty much walking through the pain in my right foot. I had tripped coming down the stairs from Minna's room and twisted my right ankle. It was definitely convenient that Antonio's apartment complex had a working elevator because I would've punched someone if I had to walk all the way up there.

Kicking them was out of the question since my leg hurt like hell.

When I reached Antonio's I didn't bother knocking, just opening the door. I was thankful that he was home today.

"Fucking stairs," I grumbled to myself. "Minna needs to invest in a fucking escalator or something so I don't trip again." I closed the door then finally looked up, noticing the crowded-and strangely quiet- living room. It shouldn't have surprised me really.

"Um, are you alright Lovi?" Feli asked.

I didn't bother answering him.

"When did you break your curse Heracles?"

"A few hours ago."

"How many is left? Three?"

"Four," Elizabeta corrected.

"Ah."

"Um, would you like me to wash your clothes?" Antonio asked with a forced smile.

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'll wash my own." I glanced over at Matthew then across to the other sofa at Gilbert. "Oh, and you really underestimate my hearing." My ears twitched as I took my hat off of them. "Next time you talk to Matthew, whisper a bit quieter." I peeled off the first shirt I was wearing, my own shirt, tossing it onto the back of the chair where Feli was sitting. "Go get me some wraps Feli. In the bathroom, under the sink."

He didn't bother asking, just doing as I asked as I peeled the next shirt off. I saw that there was a little bit of blood on it.

"You knew?" Matthew asked in a quiet voice.

I nodded before pulling off the second of Minna's shirts.

"I assume you already told everyone here what you saw." I pulled off the last shirt, blood soaking the thing. "You'd be stupid not to."

"Fratello," Feliciano whispered behind me before I felt fingers touching my back. It stayed for a moment before I felt him rubbing something on my back. It felt like a slightly wet towel. "Elizabeta? Um, can you help me?"

She looked over at Eva. "Are you squeamish around blood?"

Eva shook her head. "Not so much. I had helped Lovino wrap his back at the beach house."

"Then you guys get off the couch," Elizabeta ordered, standing up. "Antonio, I suggest you get some old towels or something to cover the couch." She coaxed Ludwig and Roderich out of their spots once Antonio was going get the towels.

I felt a tongue on my cheek and looked over at my brother. "You're so strong fratello."

I smiled at him before gently nudging him. "You're not a cat anymore."

He let out a little laugh. "I haven't gotten out of all of my habits."

Speaking of cat. "Want to do me a favor?" Feli nodded his head. "Can you tug my pants down for me?"

"What?"

"There are ladies in the room," Roderich stated, clearing his throat.

"I know." I let my brother tug my pants a little before stopping him. "Can you pull my tail out? I can't exactly bend enough to do it myself."

He did as I asked and I let out a sigh when my tail was finally able to swish around.

"Damn that feels better. It was cramping up."

"Come here Lovino," Elizabeta said, motioning to her and Eva. Antonio had returned and was putting a few big towels on his couch.

I did as she asked, preferring not to make a big fuss out of things, and laid down on the towels. My tail nonchalantly swished back and forth in the air as I rested my head in my crossed arms.

"You're relaxed while your back is bleeding out?" Ludwig asked, apparently watching my tail.

"Sure, why not?" I asked, letting out a yawn. I turned my head to try to find Antonio while the girls worked on cleaning my back. "Hey Antonio?"

"Yeah?" he asked, apparently behind the sofa and out of range of my sight.

"I got the job. I start next week."

"Are you sure you can work?"

"Yeah, after a nap I'll be back on my feet."

I heard Eva clear her throat a little. "Um, I know this may be a bit weird to say…But I do want to comment that this writing on your back is actually very elegant…"

I turned my head to look at the sweet girl. "To be honest, I agree." I had looked at the writing when cleaning my back at Minna's house.

Apparently not too long after agreeing, I fell asleep.


	18. Marriage Changes Things

"Now they're bouncy like a woman's breasts," I complained to Elizabeta. She, Roderich, and Feli had been the only ones still in the living room when I woke up. Elizabeta had been guilty of bandaging me up in a place besides my back while I was fast asleep.

"It's your fault for getting injured there."

"I didn't even notice it, so apparently it didn't bother me."

"Well I did. And pull up your pants, they're about to fall right off."

I grumbled, doing as she asked, but being careful of my tail. "And it's all stiff and sticking out now. I probably look ridiculous. Did you have to put the bandaging right under them?"

"How else was I going to stop the bleeding Lovino?"

"A simple towel would've worked. Now I'll have to find something to cover it so people don't stare if I go outside today."

I heard a cough from the doorway of the kitchen, and then another person laughing.

"Maybe you should reword your sentences," Ludwig stated. I sat up, wincing at the pain in my back, before looking over the back of the couch at him. His face was a little red.

Antonio's was also red, but because he was laughing. "You do realize what it sounds like from the kitchen, right?"

We all just stared at him.

"It sounds like you're talking about a completely different part of your anatomy…Just think about it…"

Apparently Elizabeta was the first to catch it since she let out an embarrassed giggle, then Roderich let out a cough. Feliciano seemed as confused as ever.

I let out a sigh, finally getting it. "I wasn't talking about my dick or balls Antonio."

"You shouldn't use such crude words in front of a lady," Roderich scolded.

I shrugged. "She's seen more anyway. You forgot she lived with us on the streets for two years. We had no clothes to change into when we became human again, so she saw everything anyway." My attention went back to Antonio. "We were talking about my hair, which was covering a cut I apparently got from falling down the stairs."

"We figured as much, since Elizabeta came into the kitchen to run some water on a towel she had and told us…Antonio couldn't stop laughing though when he heard the conversation."

"You have a very dirty mind," I told my owner/roommate. My hand went up to my hair, which was sticking up because of the bandaging under it. The back felt fine, as did the left side. My bangs and the hair on the right side of my head stuck up pretty weird.

"Well, Feli told me not to touch that curl, so I had to be really careful in bandaging you," Elizabeta explained.

"We can't have anyone touch our curls according to Lovi," Feli stated with a nod. "He told me, 'Never let anyone touch it fratello. It's very bad.'"

"How did you remember that?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at my brother, who just shrugged.

"Why don't you let anyone touch your curls?" Antonio asked, leaning over the back of the sofa and looking down at me.

"It's our erogenous zones," I answered, looking up at him. "Its hell if we get it caught to anything."

"Yeah, one time fratello was searching for our cat when we visited our house in Italy," my brother started. "And he ended up getting his curl stuck in the grape vines. It took our grandpa, father, and our nanny to get him out. Our nanny suggested just cutting it off…"

"Cutting my curl off would've been the same as chopping off my dick," I seethed. "Damn nanny…"

"She didn't know fratello. It took Grandpa explaining why that was so bad."

"Whatever." I leaned forward a bit, resting my elbows against my knees. "You guys have to act as though you've never found out."

It was quiet. They were all staring at me, probably confused from the abrupt change in subject.

"If you see me in public, don't say a word to me. Don't show me any sympathy. Pretend I'm another person to you."

"Fratello…"

"And you _never_ go anywhere alone." I sighed, resting my head in my hands. "Fuck…None of you were supposed to find out. If he ever knew…One by one…probably starting with Feli…After taking care of me of course."

"Lovino…" Elizabeta sat by my side, putting her hand on my knee. "Turn him in…You're living proof of what he does…"

"I've dealt with him for years Elizabeta…He weasels his way out of _everything_…Every fucking thing." I lifted my head from my hands to look at her. "Do you think I haven't tried going to the police before? I have! And as soon as suspicion was off the fucking bastard almost killed me! He sliced me right open, as though he was just cutting into some kind of turkey! I learned then and there never to try fighting him like that…Because if I die, who will Feliciano have?"

"Lovi…" Feli said by my side, cuddling against my other side. "I don't want you to keep getting hurt."

"Pretend you don't know me if you ever see me in public then," I told him, sort of leaning against him to show that I cared about him. "He has ways of knowing things…Pretend that we hate each other or something. That'd work in your favor…He wouldn't bother with you then."

Hopefully.

"You seemed to have thought this through a bit," Roderich observed.

I let out a humorless laugh. "What do you think I do when we're having sex? You think I'm actually all there?" Another laugh escaped me as I stared at the ceiling. "If a rape victim isn't mentally there, it honestly isn't as bad. You just have the after effects of pain. The pain of during doesn't even register in your mind, seeing as how it wasn't actually there." My attention went back to the people in the room. "I honestly think they should teach kids that in school, you know, when they're learning about sex and shit like that…I'd think it'd come in handy for any future rape victims." I sighed. "It's pretty sad when you can honestly pull your mind from reality whenever you want."

"You shouldn't have to deal with such things," Elizabeta whispered to me. "You're such a sweet guy when you really want to be."

"Yeah well, I am. I've learned to deal with it." I stood up very carefully, trying not to cause my back to bleed again. "It doesn't bother me so much anymore. It's just another job. I deal with it, keep my mouth shut, and I hate the pay." I slowly made my way in the direction of the kitchen. "Now if you guys don't mind, I'm going to get myself some water."

* * *

"And what would you like Madame?" I asked the couple at the table. I had taken the man's order, but I was currently waiting for his fiancée to decide.

My back was better now, but I was still careful so that it could heal as fast as possible. So far within the week I've worked here though, it hasn't reopened…That's good.

"Um, what do you suggest?" she asked, looking up at me.

I suggested our chef's specialty to her, as I was told to do. I also suggested their dessert out of politeness. According to them they were celebrating getting engaged. "I know there's not so much ice cream, but most people are getting pretty full by the end of their meal. And it should be just enough for a couple such as yourselves to share."

The woman giggled. "That sounds nice, doesn't it sweetie?" Her fiancé agreed with a smile.

"We'll take that dessert as well sir," he told me.

I nodded my head, writing it down, along with a note of engaged. I'd personally make sure that it was in a small red bowl, just for the couple. "I'll bring your food first and then I'll bring your dessert when you ask. I wouldn't want to bring it too early and it melt."

They both agreed and I took my leave, hearing the woman tell her soon-to-be husband that they should leave me a nice tip for being so polite.

And that's definitely the trick to it. Treat everyone with respect and they normally leave you good tips.

I brought the order to the back before going out and getting the order from the next person. And oh would you fucking look at that.

There's Sadiq…who promised he'd visit every fucking day I worked and order whatever he damn well felt like…With my money.

I hate that man.

"Yes sir, what can I get for you today?" I asked the bastard.

"Ah, what do you recommend?"

For you to get the fuck out.

"Well they have the chef's specialty, and then there's also the sundae that everyone has been requesting. It's very popular this time of year."

Something dark passed through Sadiq's eyes. "Oh no need for dessert. I already know what I want. And I'll get it after you get off of work."

"Should I buy some whipped cream?" I sarcastically asked.

"And some knives," he whispered to me with a sadistic smile. "I will get that sarcasm out of you. And that fight you still have in your eyes."

"But work-"

"You should've thought about that before you decided to use your mouth for something other than pleasuring me."

Fuck. My tongue slipped and now I'm going to regret it…again…

I need to just shut my mouth.

"I'm sorry Sadiq."

"Good boy. Since you've apologized, the cuts won't be as deep."

"If I beg you, will I not be hurt?"

That seemed to peak his interest. "That sounds wonderful." I was about to sigh. I've begged him many times before, so this would be as simple. "Right here, right now."

"But the other customers…It may bring suspicion."

"Then you better think of a way. If anyone suspects me you know the consequences."

An idea passed through my mind…One I didn't-absolutely fucking didn't-want to do. "May I please have until tomorrow? It'll still be here, in front of others…I don't have what I need to be able to do it right now though."

"Hmm, yeah, you sure don't have the balls to do it yet," he said with a snort. "Fine. If you don't do it tomorrow your punishment will be as bad as it was originally. Now go get my food."

"Yes sir." I went to the back, bringing the order for the chef's special dish.

The rest of the day I was cursing myself out on what I would be doing…First, I'm going to have to go take care of my money…Then I'd have to buy the fucking thing that would ruin my life.

Feli…

Like I've always done and will continue to do…I will protect you until my last breath, putting myself in the worst situations possible just for you.

He'd figure I just forgot about you. He wouldn't give a shit about you anymore, knowing he had me…all to himself. Law be damned.

Feliciano, I love you little brother.

That's why I'll do this…You'll be happier since Sadiq will have his hands on me…for the rest of his life.

The day went by pretty quickly after that, me getting some pretty decent tips…But after work I needed to go to the bank…or somewhere…I needed to figure out who to go to, to allow only Feliciano Vargas to pull money out of the Vargas bank account unless he gave permission for someone else to pull money out. I'll make sure to talk to him about not letting anyone but himself and whoever he decides he wants to marry to take any money out.

And then after that…I had to go buy a ring. I didn't give a fuck what it looked like, and just went with the cheapest thing I could find. When I finally found one I could afford with what I had taken out of the Vargas account, before allowing not even myself to get into the account, I headed to Antonio's.

The trip to his apartment didn't take very long, and I knocked on the door. Antonio got off an hour earlier than I did, so he should be here by now…I did have other stuff to take care of after work after all.

"The door's open!" Antonio called.

"You really should answer your door," I told him when I had closed the door behind myself.

"No one ever knocks besides friends anyways."

I shrugged. "Hey, do you know Ludwig's phone number?"

"Yeah, hold on a minute." I heard him put down some things in the kitchen before going to a little book he had by his phone in the living room and flipping through it. "Here it is. Why? Do you need to talk to your brother about something?"

"Yeah."

I put Ludwig's number into the phone and clicked the speaker button…Those phones were made for normal humans, not hybrids like me.

"Hello?" a gruff voice answered. It was none other than the meat brick my brother lives with.

"This is Lovino. Can I speak with my brother?"

"Hold on." I heard him put the phone down before calling for Feli, who cheered somewhere farther away.

It took a minute before he reached the phone and figured it would be easier to put it on speaker like I had.

"Hey Lovi~" Feli greeted. "You never call me! This is so weird!"

"Feliciano, shut up," I told him with a sigh. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Hmm? What's wrong Lovi?"

"You know our family's account right? With all the money Mother, Father, and Grandpa left us."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Don't ever give anyone permission to get into the account. Only the person you want to marry."

"Why're you telling me this Lovi?"

I hesitated, not sure how my brother would react to what I was going to tell him. "You're the only one allowed into the account now. I cannot get in until you give me permission, which I don't want you giving me…Not right now…"

"What?" he shouted. "Lovi, what's wrong?"

"Hey bruder!" Gilbert's voice called somewhere in the background.

"What's wrong Feli?" Matthew's voice asked.

"Just…don't go get the permission changed right now," I told Feli over the phone, hearing it get quiet on his side. My side was already quiet since it was only Antonio here, and he was in the kitchen.

"What's happening Lovi?"

"Nothing. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"It's Sadiq isn't it?"

"No…It's me…I needed to make sure no one but you can get our money…If anyone were to ever find out how much was in there…They'd kill for it fratello…" I let out a humorless laugh. "And just think…Only one Vargas, one everyone assumes probably died, is in charge of it."

There was a whimper on the other side. "Lovi…what's going on? I'm worried."

"There's no need to be Feli. Everything's the same…The only difference is that you're the only one with access to our money."

"What about you? How're you going to get money? I…I don't think Sadiq would let you have any of the money you earn…You must've been using our money for everything you needed lately."

"Feliciano~" a feminine voice cooed. "Where are you?"

"Does no one knock anymore?" Ludwig asked in the background.

"Yeah, I've been using some of our money. I have a job now though."

There was a knock on Antonio's door. "Oh Antonie~ It's me! I figured you'd want to see Jeanne and I. It's been a while since we've spoken!"

"Oh fuck," I hissed. "Gotta go Feli." I motioned to Antonio and pointed at the phone before changing and meowing.

"Hold on Francis!" Antonio called.

"No wait!" Feli called into the phone. "Don't hang up please!"

"Feli don't worry about it!" I called out as I tried pushing my clothes under the sofa.

"Antonio?" Jeanne called. "Is everything alright?"

"Hold on! I need to pick something up."

"He'll probably call later Feli," Elizabeta cooed to Feli on the other line right before Antonio reached the phone.

"Sorry guys, I'll call later," he said before hanging up and helping me push my clothes under the couch. He went to the door and opened it up to let the Frenchies into the room.

"Did we interrupt something?" Jeanne asked, looking around.

"It was a wrong number and Basil took that moment to make a mess that I was trying to clean," Antonio quickly lied.

I had to thank him later for that.

Damn French bastard and his too sexy for him girlfriend.

* * *

"So, what did you decide to do?" Sadiq asked me.

Turned out that the others got worried about me, so the ones who heard the conversation last night- Antonio included- came to my work to check on me. Not only did they decide to visit…it turned out to be the same time Sadiq was here, so I had to do this in front of them.

I kneeled down on one knee, taking Sadiq's hand.

"I'm sorry for what I've done to you," I told him in an audible voice. "I've never meant to upset you, and knowing how you felt killed me inside. I want to let you know I will always be there for you and will never leave you Sadiq…And I would like to know…" I took the ring out of my pocket holding it in my free hand. "Will you marry me?"

The restaurant was quiet, having heard me speak and seeing me on my knee. Everyone knows what that means and now they were waiting for Sadiq's answer.

He nodded, grinning a sadistic grin only I saw.

Everyone in the place-probably at the most fifteen or so people not including the workers- cheered/clapped/what-the-fuck-ever, minus the ones who knew the truth about Sadiq, as I slipped the ring on his finger. I was only glad there weren't homophobes in the place at the time. I stood up, pulling Sadiq up as well to give him a kiss.

"Lovely performance," he told me as we hugged. "Though I'm a bit curious about those people from the beach house…" My eyes widened, looking over at them. Sadiq's back was to them, meaning I could see them and they could see my face.

"They're nothing to me," I said, pulling away from him and kissing his cheek. "You're the only thing that matters to me."

"Congrats Lovino!" Anne-one of my bosses that was a blonde and busty woman- told me, coming over to Sadiq and I. "I didn't know you were seeing such a handsome man, or that you were so serious about the person you were dating. You're such a flirt."

Sadiq put an arm around my waist, his fingers digging into my side. I had to hide my wincing. Damn that man just loved putting me into tight fucking spots. "Ah yeah, it's always been a habit of his, and I would like it if he would stop if we'll be married."

Anne cooed a little at us. "How about you take the rest of the day off Lovino? So that you can spend the rest of today with your new fiancé. And hell, take off tomorrow too." She gave me a hug and then hugged Sadiq. "Just don't have too much fun you two. I'd like my worker to be able to walk when he comes back Thursday."

"We'll try not to have too much fun," Sadiq assured her.

Don't fucking lie to my boss you bastard.

"Have fun~" the girls cooed as we passed to leave.

"Oh wait Jen," I told her, grabbing her arm before looking at Sadiq. "I'll be right there." I dragged Jen to the podium near the front door and took a pad of paper and a pen, writing a little note. I whispered to her. "Don't lean toward me, or look in the direction I'm saying. There's a group of people here. They're at about seven people I think. One woman with brown hair and the rest guys. Grab this note after I leave and give it to them."

I could trust her not to read it.

I turned around and walked to Sadiq, grabbing his hand and leaving the building with him.

"What was that about?" he asked me as he let go of my hand when we were around the corner from the restaurant. "Right before we left."

"I had to leave a note to Jen. She gets confused and sometimes forgets what the day's special is. She normally asks me, but since I left early she won't be able to ask me."

I just hope the others listen to what I wrote to them.

_Don't follow._


	19. They Know

I let out a choked noise, finally feeling Sadiq stopping in his movements behind me and let out a satisfied groan. The least the bastard could do while riding out a fucking orgasm is _not_ fucking choke me!

As soon as he was done though, I knew. He literally kicked me right out of the bed and relaxed, trying to go to sleep.

This is how it's been since I proposed yesterday. No matter what I was fucking doing, I had to stop and go to Sadiq so he could overdose on sex. But, it is now ten at night and I could leave this bastard to damn well die if he wants.

So, I did just that. I left the house after getting dressed, only to bump into someone familiar and another not so familiar person not too long after leaving said house.

"Lukas?" I asked, blinking. My ears twitched, me not bothering to cover them with a hat since not many were out at this time of night.

"Lovino," he greeted with a nod.

I looked at the dog ears on his head and could just barely see the tail swishing behind him. "Only three more."

"Actually, Tino was supposed to be meeting me at Roderich's house." He motioned with his head to the taller blond who looked kinda confused. "So that she could help us explain to our owners what's going on with our curse." I started walking with him, knowing where Elizabeta's home was since Antonio and I went there once or twice.

"Well we'll all still be meeting since it seems Alfred and Natalia haven't broken their half of the curse yet."

"Um, so…you're like Lukas?" Lukas's owner asked me.

"Lovino Vargas," I stated, nodding my head at the taller male.

"Um, Mathias…"

"Yeah, Lukas has told me."

It was silent until we reached Elizabeta's home, at which Lukas knocked.

"Yes?" our fellow cursed friend asked, answering the door. A smile crossed her face. "Oh Lukas. Tino is already here." Her eyes finally found me. "Oh…Lovino."

"Hello Elizabeta," I greeted. "I just brought them here, and I would like to say hi to Tino."

"Please Lovino…please tell me you're not serious about marrying that man."

I let out a sigh as she let us in. "I am, Elizabeta." She led us to the living room where Tino-with his ears and tail matching his hair as did the rest of us who had been a cat or dog- and his owner were.

"Hello Tino," I greeted with a nod.

"Oh Lovino, hey!" he greeted with a smile. He motioned to his owner. "This is Berwald, my owner." Berwald nodded to me, in which I returned.

"I'm not going to be here long. I was just walking and met up with Lukas. I decided to come with him since I wasn't sure if he was exactly familiar with getting here, and I wanted to at least greet you before returning to Antonio's house."

"I have a great idea," Tino said with a smile, looking over at Elizabeta, Lukas, and then me. "Maybe the next time we meet, we should bring our owners so everyone can meet."

I hummed, thinking of it. "Talk with Elizabeta and Lukas about it…Elizabeta will call me and let me know what you all decide."

"Well she'll probably be calling soon, since our scheduled meet up is actually the day after tomorrow."

"I actually almost forgot about that." I glanced at the clock across the room, seeing it was already ten-thirty. "I'm gonna leave you guys for now. I want to try to get back to Antonio's before he goes to sleep. Keep me updated if Natalia or Alfred manage to half-fix their curse." I waved a bit at them as I left, trying to hurry and make it to Antonio's place before he went to bed. I'd feel a bit bad if I woke him up just so I could get inside.

Thankfully though, I made it to his place, just as he was beginning to pick things up to go to bed.

"You were out pretty late tonight," Antonio told me as I was slipping my shoes off.

"Yeah, Lukas and Tino both apparently lifted half of their curse."

"Really?" He went to the kitchen where I heard him messing with the microwave. I followed him there.

"Yeah, and Tino suggested that all of our owners get together for our next meet up the day after tomorrow."

"I wouldn't mind meeting everyone."

"Well, if Elizabeta and the others decide on it, then I guess it's gonna happen." Antonio took my food out of the microwave and set it in front of me with a fork and warning of how hot it was. "Thanks."

"No problem. So when do you guys usually meet?"

"Normally it's at night after our owners go to sleep, but since we'd be bringing you guys with us, probably between ten and eleven. We prefer going out when there's not many people." I blew on my food a little bit to cool it off. "Especially since we tend to change between our forms and don't want to be seen."

"That makes sense."

I took a bite of my food. "You make some very good food Antonio…I'm not sure if I've complimented your food yet, since I normally end up eating it while you're asleep."

"Ah, you've left a note once. I'm glad you like it. I could easily make something else if you don't like something I make though."

I shook my head. "Oh no. You do more than enough just keeping a roof over my head. The food you make is great. Don't stress yourself more than you have to with me."

"But you're my friend. I like taking care of all my friends."

Yeah well, this one isn't really worth taking care of…

I didn't say anything though, just preferring to eat my meal instead of verbally putting myself down.

* * *

"Sign the paper Lovino," Sadiq whispered into my ear.

I nodded, signing my name onto the marriage papers, which legally made me Sadiq's property.

"You're mine now," he whispered again.

He had decided when I returned to his place this morning that we'd get married today, so we went to someone just to sign the papers and make it legal. Neither of us wanted it to be huge or anything…Or have anyone there at all. The only other people there were a few of the people who worked under Sadiq, only there to show that there were witnesses to the marriage.

The ring was slid onto my finger, proof that I was now Sadiq's…Proof that I gave myself fully to the bastard.

"Let's go celebrate, hmm?" he asked, grabbing my wrist and not actually giving me a choice in the matter.

Fucking shit, another fun fucking day of…you guessed it.

Fucking.

Abusing my poor already abused ass.

Sadiq dragged me with him, back to Minna's house, observing the hand that was attached to the wrist he was cutting off the circulation for. The hand that had my ring on it.

"Very smart of you, getting married," he praised. "I get everything that belongs to you."

Joke's on you now you bastard. I have nothing to my name anymore. It was all given to my brother.

"I did it for you. No one would suspect you."

"Good."

And my day consisted of sex. Brutal sex…No it can't even be called that.

Brutal fucks. Dear god it was brutal. By the end of the night I could barely even move without feeling any pain.

Tears were escaping my eyes while I was taking care of all the chores Sadiq had ordered me to do. He even had the nerve to fucking laugh at me as I stumbled around, trying to take care of things he could do if he got off his fucking ass.

Oh no, please don't get up. I'm just in so much fucking pain that it hurts to even breathe too deeply. No please don't strain a muscle by lifting your finger. Oh that would make me feel so fucking horrible.

…I hope you fucking rot in hell you bastard.

I'll have to call in for work tomorrow. There was no way I'd be able to walk like I was feeling now. And I'm sure my boss would understand…She was a strange enough woman and would probably laugh it off.

If only…

No Lovino, don't think like that. You don't want her suspicious of Sadiq. If that happens you'd suffer you dumb fuck. Think things through!

When I was finally done with all of my chores, it was early in the morning. But I believe it was late enough that someone would be at the restaurant, preparing to open it. I called in for work, telling them I wasn't feeling so well. It wasn't my boss, but as soon as the girl told her, I'm sure she'd be laughing and gossiping with the other girls.

Well…that sounds wonderful…

I'd never understand some women.

* * *

There was a knock on the front door, so I slowly made my way to it, only to have it pushed open and hit me in the face-nearly breaking my nose- as some big man came running in. I recognized him as one of the men who worked under Sadiq.

I closed the door to the darkness outside, letting out a sigh. Him being here, and at this time of night at that, meant bad things.

Something bad had happened, and I'd be feeling repercussions right after Sadiq finds out. Might as well go get the knives from the kitchen…The longer he has to wait for them, the worse it'll be for me in the end.

One time, before the curse had happened, I had been taking a shower at Sadiq's place and didn't hear him calling for me. Apparently one of his henchman-or whatever the fuck they're called- had gotten caught while on a job-murdering someone who he had stolen money from- and he was pissed. He ended up breaking the bathroom door and ended up fucking me right there in the bathtub with hot water still pouring down on us.

That definitely wasn't a pleasant experience, especially since my head had hit the damn faucet at the very least three times. It hurt like all hell, but thankfully wasn't bleeding as much as I figured it would've.

It might've been because I didn't hit it too hard. I'd just hit the sides of it when Sadiq shoved my body a certain way.

Anyway, the point is that the longer Sadiq had to wait, the worse it'd be for the receiving party…Which was always me. The faster I got to him, the less I'd suffer.

Don't get me wrong, I'd still suffer a hell of a lot…But just a little bit less when I was faster. That little bit may mean one less cut. Or a slightly shallower cut…Every little bit counts when you're always getting these injuries.

It may be the difference between being able to walk, and almost having to crawl across the room to take care of chores that weren't lifted. The chores actually became more difficult for my injured body. And then what was worse was that he decided on which chores needed to be done based on how I was injured.

Oh my right arm is broken?

Oh hey, the dishes need to be hand washed because the dishwasher suddenly broke. Oh look the sofa needs to be moved.

Oh your spine is hurting?

Lift that heavy box from the attic. Oh look I want the TV moved to the opposite side of the room…You know what, I don't like it over there, move it back where it was.

Look, your leg is broken.

Oh go into the attic and clean it out. Change the lights and clean the blades on the fans.

You can't walk? What a joke! Hahaha!

How about you go to the store to get me some more food? And I don't want the cheap stuff from that nearby store. I want food from that expensive place all the way across town.

It was never said like that…But it meant the same thing.

But yeah, he's a sadist alright.

The main point of all my ranting is that Sadiq is a bastard, plain and simple. Though I'm pretty sure most people already knew that…Or the important ones knew that at least.

Anyway, I made my way to the kitchen, intending to get the knives from the kitchen so I wouldn't suffer as much.

Sadly, I didn't complete my goal as I was stopped when I had reached the kitchen. And it wasn't even someone calling my name, which would've been a hell of a lot better. Hell, getting my arm pulled from behind would've worked too.

Sadly, it wasn't that simple.

I was kicked forward, causing me to crash against the table then fall to the floor.

"You fucker!" Sadiq shouted, kicking me as hard as he could on my side.

Oh god the pain.

Fuck! The pain was horrible!

The bastard broke a rib! I'm sure of it.

"Sadiq," I begged, trying to stop him from kicking me again. "Please stop. What did I do?"

"People know!"

Oh fuck.


	20. Things You Do for Love

**AN: For my readers who may've not noticed, the rating for this story has changed from T to M after last chapter. There will be nothing more sexual than what you saw at the beginning of last chapter, but I find that this story matches the M rating according to the site. It's silly, I know, but it is what it is I guess.**

* * *

"Who did you tell?" Sadiq shouted at me, kicking me again, causing my head to hit the leg of the table.

"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!"

He walked away from me, and I took that chance to try to crawl away in the direction of the doorway. If he was on a warpath, I had to leave.

Now.

"Don't you dare even fucking try," Sadiq growled, grabbing my right leg. He twisted it at an uncomfortable angle, continuing turning it until a sick crack came from it.

I let out a loud scream of pain.

"Oh that's just the fucking beginning. You should've known better than to try to defy me you fucking child!"

"Sadiq, I swear I never told anyone."

"I've gotten word that there were people talking about me hurting you on the street."

Oh fuck…You guys…That means they know who you guys are.

"Sadiq, please listen to me-"

"I'm tired of listening to you," he growled. "It's time I got rid of you and went after your little friend."

Feliciano.

Tears fell from my face. "No!" He can't touch my brother…No…

"There's nothing you can do about it when you're busy bleeding out here."

He held up the knife he had in his hand before bringing it down at my already injured leg. I struggled against it, kicking at him with my good leg. Apparently that just made him angrier, and he turned me around, stepping on my chest. The hand that wasn't holding the knife grabbed my left arm.

I tried pulling my arm out of his grip, knowing what would happen if I didn't, but it was no use. He plunged the knife right into my arm, between my elbow and wrist, then twisted the arm until another sick crack was heard.

It was useless trying to muffle my screams of pain, so I didn't. I just yelled as loud as my voice would allow me.

"Shut the fuck up!"

The knife was brought down to my face and I felt the pain crossing from my left cheek to my right eyebrow. The fucker had cut my fucking face!

Oh god. If he went after my face, I'm screwed. That meant he didn't care, and if I died, he wouldn't give a fuck. He was aiming to actually kill me. And he'd go for my brother after I was out of the way.

No fucking way I'd let that happen.

Sadly, I had two useless limbs and Sadiq was aiming for rape again. And it'd be as rough as he could get too.

Fuck!

* * *

I pulled off that damn ring with some difficulties since one of my arms was useless and refused to work and changed into a cat, limping through the house. Sadiq had raped me alright. He didn't give a fuck how much he hurt me. He even dug the knife into my skin during the process too. I now had a deep wound in my side, to add to every other injury. My tail and ears went unharmed to my absolute relief.

I had to make it to the meet up place before Sadiq figured out where it was though. The others could be in danger.

Thankfully I had made sure to tell Antonio exactly where we all met up, just in case I was a little late. I can only hope that Sadiq didn't recognize him when searching for everyone he knew the face of.

It was painful running with two useless limbs, more so when you were running on said useless limbs. But I didn't care. I wouldn't care about anything if Sadiq got his hands on my brother.

"He's late again," I heard a feminine voice hiss in the distance. I recognized it.

"He'll be here," a male voice replied. I recognized that voice…Antonio. He was here too. Sadiq hadn't gotten to him yet. "He told me he had to take care of something today."

"Get the fuck out of there!" I yelled as loud as my cat voice would allow me as I continued running to the area. I knew some people that were in the clearing would understand me.

"Lovi?" Feliciano asked. "Is that you?"

Oh thank god. Feliciano was alright as well.

I ran right into the clearing, unable to stop, and crashed right into a tree. It disoriented me for a while, but I knew it was Natalia laughing at me.

"Are you alright fratello?" I saw through my one open eye that everyone in the clearing was human. Even Natalia with a tail and ears to match her hair and Alfred with his big wings out in the open. I could also see that it was more than just us, and it seemed all of our owners did come.

I shook my head, changing and not caring about anyone seeing my nudity. "Everyone get the fuck out of here. Now."

"Oh my god," Elizabeta whimpered, covering her mouth. "Lovino, what happened?"

"Sadiq. He found out. He's going to kill you guys if he finds you."

"You're right about that Lovino," the familiar voice stated, across the clearing from me.

"You mother fucker," I growled, getting up again and jumping at him. He effortlessly kicked me down, causing me to gasp for breath.

"Your friends can't run," he told me. "I've got this area surrounded. They try to call for help or even move in a way I don't like and they'll be shot."

I looked up at him with a glare before feeling something being put around my shoulders. Feli was pulling his jacket over my shoulders.

"And just think, if you die here, I get everything under your name," he told me with a laugh. He pulled a gun out of his jacket, the ring on his finger glittering in the light of the moon. "We are married after all."

It was my turn to laugh as I sat up, wincing when I put pressure on my injured hand. "Joke's on you Sadiq…I have nothing under my name. I signed it all over to my brother. You kill me, and you'll get nothing. And you have no idea who my brother even fucking is."

Sadiq glared at me. "You little fucking brat."

"Wanna know another secret?" The grin was still on my face even as I heard the police arriving. No need to even tell the bastard that I called the police before coming here, telling them there was a killer running lose and there was a possibility he'd be threatening many people in this very spot.

The killing intent in his eyes…Dear god, if looks could kill I'd be ten feet under.

"I'm not done with you yet!" he shouted, shooting three bullets before taking off.

Now those bullets…Let me tell you something about them before I lose consciousness.

He wasn't aiming for me.

One just barely grazed my right hand. The second hit my upper right shoulder blade on my back.

The third one was now lodged in my back, very close to my spine.

"Fratello," Feliciano whispered, looking at my face hovering above his.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, my weight beginning to weigh down on him.

"Lovi, why did you take the bullet? It was meant for me."

I smiled at him. "Didn't I tell you? Everything I do is for you." I closed my eyes. "So you don't have to feel the pain." If I didn't, he would've killed you. It would've gone right through your skull.

* * *

[Antonio's POV]

I think we were all frozen, except Feliciano, seeing Lovino. I think we couldn't move because none of us had to see someone we knew just continually get hurt just so no one else had to. None of us moved at all until the police came into the clearing.

"What happened here?" the man who looked to be the chief asked, looking around the clearing. His eyes landed on Lovino and his brother.

"Um, the man who did this shot our friend when he heard the sounds of you arriving," I explained, since I was the closest. "And he ran…"

"Fratello," Feli whimpered, holding Lovino close to him.

"Call an ambulance and send out a search party for anyone suspicious looking with the description we got earlier," the chief ordered one of his men, who immediately turned around and disappeared through the trees.

"Feli, let go of him," Elizabeta told him, finally snapping out of her daze. "You don't want to move him too much."

That must've been what the others needed to hear to actually snap out of their own dazes and begin talking, possibly about Sadiq. The police around here began questioning them all.

"Can I borrow your jacket Antonio?" Elizabeta asked, looking up at me.

I nodded, taking it off to hand to her.

"Ludwig and Antonio, please help me. I want him to be able to lay on the jacket. We can cover him with your jacket, Ludwig, or something until the ambulance arrives."

We did as she asked and took care of him. Thankfully he was still breathing, so that was good. We had to rest him on his side though, since we were unsure if having him resting on his back would be bad for the bullet wound.

"Are any of you related to the young man?" a policeman asked, having watched us take care of Lovino.

"I am," Feliciano whispered, holding Lovino's hand gently. "He's my older brother."

"Can you please tell me how he got all of those marks on his body?"

Feliciano shook his head. "He'd have to tell you. But we believe they were all made by one person."

"The man we got a call about coming here and possibly murdering quite a few?"

"Oh Lovino," Elizabeta cooed, stroking his face. She was careful of the bloody cut across his face. "You're such a sweetie, worrying about all of us." She used her thumb to try to clear the blood from around his eye.

We could hear the ambulance in the distance, getting closer.

"Were there any other injuries?" the policeman asked, glancing around at the others.

"Lovi was the only one hurt," Feli whimpered. "Fratello, you suffer so much for everyone else."

The medics came into the clearing we were all in, looking around.

"This one is the only injured one," the policeman that questioned us told them.

"He was shot on his back," Feli told them, probably not wanting his brother to feel more pain than necessary.

"Can we come too?" Elizabeta asked, watching as they tried getting Lovino onto the stretcher. "We're all very close to him." He was finally set laying on his back with a pillow under the spot where the bullet was.

"Only family is allowed into the ambulance. We can bring you all in our cars though…We still do need to question everyone."

Feli followed them as they carefully rolled Lovino away from us.

"As long as we can follow him to the hospital, we'll answer all the questions you have to the best of our ability," Elizabeta answered, her eyes following the brothers.

And that's how we all ended up in the many police cars that had arrived, heading to the hospital.

* * *

"Man, I was so excited that we had all managed to at least become mostly human too," Alfred stated, sitting down with the rest of us in the waiting room, Arthur's jacket covering his wings. He and Arthur had been the last ones to be questioned.

They knew next to nothing though.

Elizabeta-who's wings were covered by Mathias's jacket- had Feli sitting in her lap and was trying to calm the sobbing boy. Roderich was by her side, patting Feliciano's back when Elizabeta whispered something to him.

"So, this is what we've been missing out on?"

"Apparently it's been going on since before we met, from what I've gathered from Elizabeta," Lukas stated. While we had all been waiting for Lovino in the clearing, everyone was introducing themselves and their owners. This way we'd all at least know each other…And we were also trying to waste time until he got there since Elizabeta didn't want to talk about anything really important until everyone had arrived.

"That explains why Lovino was such a dick when we first met."

"And why he was a lot calmer after two years," Tino stated, finally speaking up. "He didn't snap at us all the time."

"Except with Natalia," Alfred stated, looking over at said girl.

She was sitting with Sofia and Ivan, and she huffed when her name was mentioned. "The damn runt deserved every bite and scratch I gave him."

"The same can be said about you."

She hissed at him. "Do you want me to come after you next?"

"Bring it!"

"You two!" Elizabeta scolded.

"You're acting like children," Lukas told them both. "Think about how Feliciano's feeling right now. Think about what Lovino did for you Natalia. If it hadn't been for him taking so much abuse, you know Sadiq would've gone after us."

"Lovi's gonna be okay, right Elizabeta?" I heard Feliciano ask. I looked over at him to see him still looking at his lap. "He's gonna be alright? Right?"

"Lovino's a strong guy," she reassured him.

"Yeah, the guy almost got hit by a truck when he was trying to help a certain bitch," Alfred stated, glancing over at Natalia.

"He was human at that point, and I wasn't," she huffed. "It wasn't my fault I wouldn't have stood a chance against it."

"Yeah, but he saved you," Matthew told her. "You know he doesn't like you, and he risked his life to save you…You don't give him enough credit Natalia."

"Is there any family for Lovino…Um…"

"Vargas," Feli told the doctor with a sniffle before looking up at him. "His last name is Vargas. I'm his younger brother."

"I'll have to speak with you alone…"

"You can say it in front of everyone else," he said, sniffling again.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Do you think Lovi wants everyone to know what's happened to him?" Elizabeta asked him.

"We already know anyway," I told her. "It's not hard to guess the worst parts of it."

The doctor nodded, looking down at his clipboard. "Well starting from the worst, he has a bullet that's lodged very close to his spine and the surgeons are currently working to get it out without paralyzing him. He also has a deep wound in his side, possibly made from a knife. His right leg, left arm, and at the very least two ribs are broken. There are multiple cuts all over his body. The one on his face came very close to his eye, but we believe it didn't damage it. We'll have to see once he wakes up, and it's healed enough to be uncovered, if he can still see out of the eye to be sure though. We also think there may be some internal bleeding because of the broken ribs, but are unsure at the moment." He seemed to hesitate.

"You didn't include rape," Feli told him.

The doctor seemed surprised, but nodded his head. "Indeed. All the signs are there of rape, including bruises upon his body, and even bruises beginning to form around his neck. One of his legs, despite being broken, was also dislocated near the hip, but the doctors were able to set it back in place."

I let out a sigh.

Poor Lovino had gone through so much. And he ran all the way to us, even with broken bones, just to warn us so we wouldn't be hurt…Though it was all in vain since Sadiq had found us anyway.

"I just have one question…Is he going to be alright?"

The doctor couldn't answer the question. From the look on Feliciano's face, and the tone of his voice…It'd break anyone's heart just to tell him anything besides yes.

"If it depends on how much money we have, we have enough. Lovi left it all to me so Sadiq couldn't steal any of it…But…I just want my brother to live…He's all I have left."

"We're doing the best we can," the doctor said, starting to become uncomfortable near Feli. I would be too…The poor guy looked so broken.

It looked like Feliciano was going to continue, but Elizabeta shook her head. "Calm down Feli. They're doing the best they can. I don't think they're worried about the money right now."

"Is there anything else?" I asked the doctor, leaning over to pat Feli's leg.

The doctor shook his head. "The rest of his injuries don't look to be too serious, and none of the scars he has looks to be infected. I'll return later with any new information."

I nodded and watched the doctor leave the room.

"Shh, he'll be alright," Elizabeta comforted the now sobbing Feliciano.

"He will be alright, right?" I heard Sofia ask her brother.

Ivan looked down at her. "Ah, who can say? Maybe. Maybe not."

"Hey, the least you can do is show some respect," Mathias growled over at him. "He was trying to protect you and your sister as well when he was trying to warn all of us. He could've just laid where he was and let him find us."

"You guys aren't helping," Lukas stated, grabbing Mathias's arm. "Sit down, shut up, and calm down."

"Maybe Antonio should've kept a better eye on his pet," Arthur suggested, sending me a glare. "Then maybe none of this would've happened."

"He's his own person," I growled at the blond. "I'm not going to force him to stay at my home just because he was my pet at first."

"Guys please calm down," Matthew said, trying to stop another fight.

"Yeah!" Gilbert agreed, nodding his head. "Getting in fights isn't going to help anything except put more of us in one of these rooms."

"Maybe getting our owners to join us was a bad idea," Tino said, sliding down in his seat.

"It was a good idea," Berwald grumbled to him. That guy is somewhat hard to understand…

"We just have some dumbasses around here," Alfred told the smaller blond.

"Says the dumbass himself," Natalia hissed.

"Stop it!" Elizabeta screeched, causing everyone to shut up. "I want all of you to behave right now! We are in a hospital and-"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off when we saw three or four doctors running down the hall in the direction that other doctor had gone in…I assume for surgery. They were talking in hurried voices.

"That's where they took Lovi," Feliciano whimpered.

"It's alright, I'm sure it's nothing."

"I'll find out," I told them, standing up and walking over to the woman at the desk on the other side of the room. "Ma'am?" She looked up. "Why are there doctors running around?"

"They were going to the young man that was just brought in and was going through surgery. Apparently his heart just stopped. The doctors are trying to get it started again."

My face paled.

"Do you know him sir?"

I nodded my head. "He's my friend. All of us in here came for him…His brother is sitting in that woman's lap." I motioned behind me with my head and saw her glance in that direction. Her eyes saddened before she looked back at me. "You may want to talk to him then…"

I nodded my head, walking back to my seat and sitting in it heavily.

"It wasn't Lovino they were running to, right?" Elizabeta asked me, an obviously fake smile on her face. "It was someone else that was already here."

I let out a long sigh. "I wish…His heart stopped and they're trying to get it working again."


	21. Hospital Visits

[Lovino's POV]

I knew what I must've looked like.

I'd be connected to a shit load of machines, kinda like how Mother and Father were before they died. Damn mafia…

Haha, I wouldn't be surprised if Sadiq was part of it, and that's why he chose to come after me…But shouldn't he know Feli's face too? Maybe he wasn't given his picture, but only mine. Maybe he only knew I had a brother and that I would do anything for him? Ah, I don't honestly care right now.

"He's awake. He shouldn't be awake right now."

Hmm?

"Someone up the dosage."

Am I still in surgery?

"You should be asleep. Let the medicine take affect sweetie."

"What're you doing?" I grumbled, just finally noticing I was on my stomach. My left cheek was against something soft.

"We're trying to get the bullet out," the woman told me and I felt a hand on my cheek. "If you're awake and your muscles tense, there's a chance it could paralyze you."

I shook my head a bit a tiny bit, trying to clear the haze. "My brother…Is he okay?"

She hesitated before answering. "Yes. He found out your heart had stopped. We haven't been able to tell him we got it started again."

I felt myself drifting off again. "Tell him…I'm alright…Lovi said everything will be okay." I wasn't able to hear much around me anymore. "Please…" I wanted to hear that woman though.

"I'll tell him personally sweetie," I heard before I fully lost consciousness again.

* * *

[Antonio's POV]

A doctor came into the room probably ten minutes after we had heard that Lovino's heart had stopped. This one was a female doctor, with a little bit of blood on the end of one of her sleeves. She glanced around the room at all of us.

"Um, which of you is Lovino's brother?" she asked.

Feli glanced up at her. "That would be me."

The woman smiled and walked up to him, leaning over when she reached him. "Your brother's heart is working again, and not too long after, he woke up…On the operating table." She waited for Feli to nod again. "He's asleep again and they're still working, but I told him I'd tell you his message personally. He said 'Tell him I'm alright. Lovi said everything will be okay.'" She smiled. "He'll make it through. He's stubborn enough to fight a high dosage of something to put him asleep, just so he could get a message to you."

Feli smiled up at her.

"You have such a cute smile. Keep that on. I think your brother would want to see you smile instead of crying. He's a strong boy. Be strong for him. He'll need it."

* * *

Since there were too many people to all visit Lovino, most of the others -mostly the owners since they didn't know him- decided not to go into his hospital room.

Feliciano, Elizabeta, Roderich, Ludwig, Gilbert, Matthew, and I would be the first group in the room. Then the rest of the cursed people would come in after us.

"Fratello," Feliciano whined, walking over to Lovino's right side and holding his hand. He was careful of the needle sticking in his brother's hand.

Lovino's upper chest was uncovered by his blanket, but mostly wrapped in bandaging. His left arm was in a cast, as was his right leg-both of which had wrappings as well to bandage the wounds he had on them. There was bandaging across his face, probably from the cut he had to his face, and it covered his right eye. He was connected to a heart monitor, but not a breathing machine.

Weird.

Despite all the injuries, he looked like he was sleeping pleasantly.

"Why isn't he connected to a breathing machine?" I asked the female doctor. She was the same one who had told Feliciano Lovino's message.

"He doesn't have any difficulties breathing," she answered, walking to Lovino's side and moving some of his hair from his forehead. "There was no internal bleeding thankfully, though there is heavy bruising."

"When is he supposed to wake up?" Feliciano asked, looking over at the woman.

"We're not sure. We had to put him under a heavier dosage than we normally would with someone so small so we could be sure he wouldn't wake up during surgery, especially when we were re-setting his broken ribs." The doctor moved her hand from Lovino's head to pat the top of Feliciano's head. "The main thing is that he's recovering now, and out of any kind of danger. And we'll let you stay here as long as you'd like while we're not taking any kind of x-rays."

Feliciano nodded, squeezing Lovino's hand.

That must've been what he needed as a wake up call, because he groaned a little bit and turned his head in the direction of his brother.

"Lovi?"

* * *

[Lovino's POV]

I opened both my eyes, noting that I could only see out of one, and saw my brother by my side. "Feli? Are you alright?"

She smiled, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I'm fine. Everyone's fine. The only one hurt had been you Lovi."

I turned my head and looked around the room, seeing that it wasn't even half of the people in the clearing. Only Feli, Matthew, Elizabeta, and I, and our owners. And a female doctor. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're waiting in the waiting room," Elizabeta told me. "We can't have too many people in the room, and only the ones we've been with for two years are going to come to see you next, Eva and Heracles included."

"Actually, since he's awake, we'll have to question him first," the female doctor interrupted. "Such as how he's gotten his scars."

"From my abusive husband," I answered her, tilting my head a little. "Though by choice I don't want to be married to him."

The female doctor looked at the others. "I'll have to ask the rest of you to leave the room for the moment so that I can question him."

Everyone besides Feliciano started leaving, saying they'd be back after the others.

"I want to stay," Feli told the woman, sitting in the chair near him and still holding my hand.

The doctor nodded before turning her attention back to me. "All of your scars were made by him?" she asked, writing something down.

Her answer was a nod. "Every scar you see, except some somewhere on my left ankle…I got those when I was younger when I ended up getting my leg caught in our rose bush…I ended up not seeing the damn thing and walked right into it, and scarred that ankle a bit when I was trying to tug it out. But other than that every scar was made by him."

"And about your husband…"

"I have no idea where that guy could've gone…I married him after giving my brother full possession of our family's money. It was the only way to please him and keep him away from my brother and friends."

"That's why you told us not to follow," Feli said, finally getting it apparently.

I nodded. "That night was particularly rough, and I knew that Gilbert and Matthew had followed me before…I knew it would be bad and didn't want any of you to see, or get caught. Sadiq has people all over…Right now I don't think he'll try anything, but give him some time."

"Are you going to divorce him Lovi?"

"I dunno…Probably. Can I divorce someone even if they're not around?" The question was directed at the doctor, who shrugged.

"I'm sure you can if you have a legitimate reason."

"Does the fact I married him to make sure he didn't harm others count?"

"I'm sure it does."

"Then as soon as I'm out of here, I'm going legalize it…I hate even knowing I'm married to that bastard." Maybe if I'm lucky, I can ask Antonio or Feliciano to find a lawyer for me and I can divorce him before I even get out of this place.

The woman nodded then began asking me medical things…Such as my blood type, original hair color, any problems or allergies I may have had.

"I had Chorea as a child," I told her. "But I haven't had any symptoms of it in years, so I assume we cured it when some guy suggested I dance to the tarantella."

She nodded her head to that, writing it down, and continued with other questions I didn't bother remembering. Things about my family and such.

I didn't bother telling her the jobs they dealt with on the side of what they were known for. You think we became so rich because my whole family made a good living?

…Okay, that was pretty much true true. They did have an honest job that everyone knew of. My mother and father were doctors, and my grandfather a retired doctor. My parents didn't get to retire from those jobs though…No…They met an untimely death and my brother and I would've been killed too had we not been over at a park with our grandpa.

Such honest people in such a sick job…

Eh, can't say anything about them…They did rescue people…And they only killed those who were threatening lives of the innocent.

And Feliciano didn't know either. About any of them.

The doctor had also asked about my tail and ears, and I told her it was some kinda surprise for Sadiq…Well that was a lie, but no one needs to know any different. It's not so bad having some cat features.

After the doctor was done with talking to me and had left, the others came in to check on me and find out how I was doing. Natalia just kinda hissed at me, but that was it from her…I think it was a greeting or something…Maybe…

"Are we still going to get together now?" Tino asked, looking at me then the others.

"I wouldn't see why not," I told him. "But maybe we can meet during the day instead."

"Where at?" Lukas asked.

I hummed before looking over at Feliciano. "Well, I was thinking Feli and I could open a restaurant when we were freed of this curse…But we're mostly human now. He and I could make our own hours since we'd be the bosses. What do you think Feli?"

"That's a great idea fratello," he agreed with a smile and nod of his head. "It'll be like when we worked before."

"But this time we can cook the food as well." I looked at the others. "We can continue meeting at the same park, but maybe at noon and where there are benches to sit on until then. I'd have to go see if I could buy a place nearby, but I'm stuck in here for a little while."

"I can go look," Feliciano told me. "How big of a building do you want?"

I thought for a while. "It's up to you. Even if you see just a plot of land that looks like it'd be nice enough for a place…We can easily make it two or even three stories." Maybe the top floor can be where we live. "Ah, we'll talk about it when it's only you and I. For now all of us can meet in the park we always meet at, at noon instead though."

"So um…how're you feeling?" Eva asked, walking over to my left side now that my brother and I were done talking. She sat in the chair on that side and rested her hand on my knee.

"Not as bad as you might think. I'm a little uncomfortable because I can't move, and it's annoying not being able to see out of my right eye. I think they have my dosage for medicine pretty high since I honestly don't feel any pain right now." I glanced around the room. "Don't look so down guys. It's honestly not that bad. I'm serious."

"I don't know if you know, but your heart stopped while you were in surgery," Lukas told me.

I blinked, surprised by that fact. "Really?"

"After they got it started again you told that nurse who was in here to give Feliciano a message," Tino added.

I turned my head, since my brother was on my blind side, to look at Feliciano. "I don't remember anything like that."

Feli nodded his head. "You had told the doctor to tell me you said everything was going to be okay. You woke up while they were trying to get the bullet out of your back without paralyzing you."

"Well that's new news to me."

We continued talking about things that didn't really matter for another thirty minutes before Matthew popped his head through the door.

"Um, if you guys don't mind, can we switch out? Antonio and Arthur are beginning to throw threats at each other."

"Come on!" Alfred groaned before running out after his brother.

"I guess we'll see you when we come visit," Tino said. "Do you know when you're getting out?"

"They didn't tell me…But I can just talk to Antonio and he can get it to the others."

"Alright, I hope you get better soon."

"Me too."

The others all left with different ways of saying goodbye…

Natalia's was flipping me off.

"Ah, you're still awake," Elizabeta stated when she walked in.

"Yeah, I'm not that tired."

"That's a surprise with how much blood you lost."

She, Roderich, Antonio, and Gilbert ended up being in the room with Feliciano and I. Someone was missing.

"Where's Matthew?"

"Mattie's with his brother trying to calm down Artie," Gilbert answered. "While he was coming over here, Tony and he ended up getting in a little fight."

Antonio huffed, rubbing his cheek.

I let out a sigh, motioning him with my right hand and causing Feli to let go. "Come over here Antonio." Feli moved so Antonio could take his spot. "Show me where you were hit."

"It's fine…" Even though he said that, he turned his head a bit.

I reached up and ran my index finger over the skin, seeing him wince when my finger touched a certain spot. "Dumbass…getting in a fight in a hospital…That's gonna bruise you know. Who started it?"

He didn't answer.

"It started with Arthur," Elizabeta answered for him, causing me to look at her. "Apparently it normally starts like that. He'd make a comment, and Antonio would get mad, because it would be something to do with their past."

"And did you get mad Antonio?" I asked, looking back at Antonio.

He nodded.

"Artie said that you shouldn't have been a whore," Gilbert stated when Elizabeta seemed to hesitate.

"And you got mad?" I asked Antonio, poking his cheek where I knew his bruise would be.

"I've seen your bruises and your back…He shouldn't have said it."

That caused me to blink. "Why did you defend me though? I've heard worse from many others. Some of my classmates would be much crueler than that."

"He's always been an ass, and he shouldn't be saying that about someone who's gone through so much just to protect people."

I let out a sigh. "Wanna know when it all started? When I was being called a whore?" I let my hand rest back on my bed. "I was a little bit late for my last class one day, which was P.E., because Feliciano had hurt himself. So there was no one else in the changing room while I was in there…Sadiq just walked right in and I never knew, since I was digging in my locker for my uniform. I had seen him around school for the month before that, but don't really remember seeing him before that. He had cornered me and said he wanted to meet the Italian everyone's been talking about for years…Now that I think about it…I don't think he went to that school until I started seeing him. Anyway, he's always been much stronger than me…And he threatened Feliciano…" I looked up at the ceiling. "Do you know after he was done that first time…my first time…I had so much trouble walking? I couldn't go to the police because he threatened Feliciano…I limped my way home and went straight to my room to try to sleep off the pain…Feliciano didn't need to know what was happening."

"It was my fault this happened to you," I heard Feliciano sniffle.

"No. If you hadn't gotten yourself hurt, he would've come find us…And you probably would've been killed." I looked back at the others. "After that rumors apparently began spreading about my limping. I was with different men I met at bars. I'm an Italian whore. If it had a dick, I'd let it fuck me. There were so many different rumors…"

"Why didn't I hear any of these Lovi?" Feliciano looked so upset.

"Minna and I made sure you didn't hear it." I smiled at my brother. "We didn't want you to be upset."

"But they were saying such bad things about you."

"I know…It wasn't so bad for me though. Most of them would shut up after I told them to fuck off…It never bothered me as much as you'd think. I knew what was the truth, so I didn't bother with rumors dealing with me. Minna and I actually had bets on what the next rumor would be." I motioned for Feli to come to my side, so Antonio moved from the chair to let him sit in it again. I reached out for my brother's hand, and he grabbed it. "The main thing was that you were safe. That was the only thing I worried about. It was always the thing I worried about most. I became more protective after Grandpa died because you had no one else beside me to care for you. I forgot that once…When I tried killing myself with overdosing…But you reminded me why I fought in the first place. You're the reason I did as I was told by Sadiq, taking things he threw at me. I gladly did anything he wanted, because I knew he wouldn't kill me if I listened. He wouldn't go after you either. I listened and you were happy. And I was still alive. That's all that mattered, no matter how scarred I became."


	22. Friends

**AN: I've noticed people are speaking of the humor. It will come back now. That little arc was just that, an arc. It was a little bump in the road to more humor~ I've changed the rating though to settle with the story better, since it isn't just humor…which I had originally planned. Hurr…I may change it back to humor eventually though. Also this story will no longer be updated weekly like before. I'm having a horrible writer's block right now with this (hence the month or so wait between the last chapter and this one), but I wanted_ something_ out for you guys for the Christmas holidays...So that would explain why you guys got a fairly short chapter. I do hope you guys aren't mad at me for the wait though.**

* * *

"Hey, you feeling any better?"

I glanced up from the newspaper and saw Antonio standing at the door, holding a semi-large container in his hands.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work today?"

"Isn't Feliciano supposed to be here?"

"He's at Ludwig's after I told him to call the bastard to get him so he could sleep. He's been here for two days without must rest. What's your excuse?"

"It's already six in the afternoon. I made supper and figured I'd bring some to you. I've tasted hospital food once, so I figured I'd bring you a homemade meal…I don't know about you, but I wasn't fond of the food."

I sniffed the air as he got closer to me. "Pizza?"

"Homemade pizza from fresh ingredients."

I folded the newspaper, with much difficulty since I could only use one hand, and set it on the little table near my bed. "You didn't have to go through that much work…Frozen pizza from the store would've worked just as well."

Antonio laughed a little, opening the container to show the full pizza, already cut. It was a smaller sized pizza, but it did look good. And there wasn't a piece missing.

Wait, there wasn't a piece missing?

"Did you eat something else?" I asked as he set the container on my lap.

"Um…Haha…" That's what I thought.

"Eat," I ordered, grabbing a piece and holding it out to him.

"Ah, thank you." He took the slice from me, a smile on his face.

"I should be saying thank you. You made the food for me…And you didn't even eat. The least I can do is share a meal with you."

And so that's what we did. We ate, me with some difficulty since I could only use one hand, and talked a little bit.

"Oh, I also talked to your boss today after work," Antonio told me as he helped me clean my hand. It involved water, paper towels, and just a little bit of soap. "She had asked me what my relation to you was when I had mentioned your name."

"What did you tell her?"

"That you were my roommate and that you had gotten hurt and were in the hospital. She told me to keep her updated on how you were doing, and she was also glad that I had told her what happened, because she couldn't get in touch with you."

"Thanks for that, but I only got that job because Sadiq had forced me into a job like that…I won't lie though…I did like doing what I did. I had gotten that kinda job before as well…" I let out a sigh and thanked Antonio for helping me clean up a little. "I'm probably not going to go back there though. Feliciano and I are going to try to open our own place when I get out of here."

"You want your own restaurant?"

"Yeah. Feli and I enjoyed working together in that kind of environment. We were both waiters though. With our own restaurants, we'd end up cooking and serving our customers." I let out a hum. "Kinda like a place we visited once with our parents long ago."

Antonio must've seen the look in my eyes. "You miss your parents, don't you?"

"Of course I do. They were my parents, and they died when I was still young."

"How old were you?"

"I think I was about twelve or thirteen."

"I didn't even get to know my parents," Antonio admitted. "They were in a car accident before I was even a year old. I ended up living with my uncle until I moved to my apartment only a few months before Francis and Gilbert encouraged me to get a cat. And obviously you know what happened after I got my cat."

A chuckle escaped me.

"Your friends deserved the scratches they got…Some of us animals don't like being teased and made fun of."

"So…you knew all along about everything going on in my home, huh?"

"Yeah. From every laugh with your French friend to every tear of loneliness…You talk an awful lot to a cat."

Antonio chuckled uneasily. "Ah, well I didn't know you were actually a human and knew what I was saying…And Francis is with Jeanne an awful lot…I know Gilbert doesn't have anyone right now, but still…Seeing Francis and Jeanne being…well you've seen them."

"And heard them," I muttered, my ears twitching in aggravation.

Antonio winced, understanding what I meant. "Yeah…It just made me feel lonely, you know?"

"I know the feeling…For two years I couldn't be with anyone…Everyone I was with I count as family, except Natalia…She doesn't matter though, since I don't like women."

"You don't like women?" Antonio blinked, surprised.

I shook my head. "Nope. I flirt with them, but don't like women like that…" My eyes glanced to the chair on the other side of the room. "Apparently from what I heard, neither do you."

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"I remember a conversation you had with Gilbert and Ludwig…At least I think it was those two. But I remember you talking to them about Emma and how she slept with you when you were drunk. You had told them that by that time, you already knew you didn't like women that way."

"I completely forgot about that." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, his cheeks tinted pink. "Ironic how we both like guys and yet ended up like we did. You don't find many guys like us around."

"There's more around here than you think," I told him. "Every guy that had been cursed with me had no interest in women even before we were cursed. It made dealing with Natalia and Elizabeta when they changed much easier."

"That's surprising. Sort of weird how all of you were into the same sex."

"Natalia, I'm unsure if she's into other women, but Elizabeta's told me she doesn't care for the sex of the person. As long as they love her for her, she'll love them back."

"Ah, that's definitely a pure way of thinking…You don't see that so often…"

It was quite for a moment until I decided to speak.

"I was honestly afraid of when I proposed to Sadiq," I admitted, since we were on the subject of same sex couples. "People who like the same sex were looked down on when I was still human. I'm sure not much has really changed in two years though…I was afraid some homophobes would come after me for proposing to another man."

"Thankfully the people around here aren't so bad. I'm not about to go telling people I like men though…"

I snorted. "What sane man would?"

"True."

* * *

"Ah fuck." I sighed, tossing my cards down onto the little table on my lap.

"Language Lovi," Feli scolded with a grin from my right side. He had just won this match of poker.

"I'm thinking it's more than luck," Matthew added. He also threw his cards onto the table from his spot at the foot of my bed.

"You're cheating," Tino said. He was sitting to my left side and, like Lukas, didn't throw his cards down after losing.

Lukas was sitting in a chair near Tino with Alfred across from him in another chair. They were the only two playing the game that weren't on my bed.

Elizabeta was teaching Eva and, surprisingly, Natalia how to knit on the floor near the window. Heracles was asleep right behind Elizabeta, who used his stomach as a place to put her extra supplies.

"He has to be," Alfred stated, looking over at my brother. "No way he could win all three times!"

"I'm very good at poker," Feliciano admitted with a smile.

"That's because you're _always_ fucking smiling," I told Feli. "It's the damn perfect poker face."

"Why didn't you tell us he was good at this?" Alfred asked, picking up the cards to deal them. "I would've suggested Go Fish if I knew."

"I was hoping he lost his poker face…Apparently not."

"And you didn't warn us after seeing it the first game?" Matthew asked.

"I thought you guys noticed."

"Apparently not if we continued losing," Tino said.

"Well, that's your fault for not noticing."

"Thankfully you guys hadn't tried betting during those games," Elizabeta said from her spot on the floor.

"I don't have any money to give during a game," I reminded her. "Even if I did, it'd end up going back to me in the end since we share the account."

"You know, you've been talking about your account," Alfred started.

"Congratulations. I never would've guessed."

"Anyway!" he almost shouted to stop me from talking. "Exactly how much is in there?"

"I don't know if I really just want to say it…"

"You know we won't try taking it from you," Eva told us.

"I might," Natalia corrected.

"I trust you guys, minus Natalia…I guess it wouldn't matter if I told you guys. I think it was a couple hundred?"

"That's not a lot."

"They don't think we have that much Lovi," Feliciano reminded me. "You have to tell them all of it."

"I forgot…I meant a couple hundred thousand."

"Damn, what did your family do?" Alfred asked. "Rob banks for a living?"

"They were all doctors," Feli stated. "Our mom, dad, and grandpa."

"Must've been some pretty good doctors."

"They were rarely home though." Feli sighed. "Our parents, I mean. Our grandpa would try to be with us when our parents couldn't."

"He couldn't spend all of his time with us though," I added. "So most of our time was spent with each other. I hated most of the people at our house. Our nanny, the maids, gardeners, everyone. That's why Feliciano and I are so close. We rarely let anyone else get close to us back then. We had friends, but we didn't actually let them in or let them know anything about us besides what everyone else saw."

And I kept our family's secret a secret from everyone, including Feli.


	23. Feliciano First

"I'm so damn bored," I groaned.

"Why don't you read a book?" the nurse in the room suggested to me.

"Because I don't feel like it…"

The woman giggled. "Would you like me to see if we have any board games? I'm sure another patient wouldn't mind playing against you."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Why would you guys have board games? Do you get that bored while working?"

She shook her head. "We have some that were donated. Normally they're for the kids, but some of the older patients don't mind using them."

I let out a snort of laughter. "I'll just stick with sitting in here. I don't want to have to deal with more people."

"Then would you like me to turn the TV on for you?"

"Nah, it's nothing but news."

"We do have cartoons as well."

I stayed quiet for a moment. "You do?"

"We have kids that come into the hospital as well. They'd be bored just sitting in their beds doing nothing." The nurse picked up a remote that was on the table on the other side of the room and clicked the TV on. She flipped through a few channels and stopped on the cartoons. "I'll leave the remote by you, just in case you'd like to watch something else." She walked over to the door. "If you need anything else, you know how to contact a nurse. I'll be back in a little while to check up on you."

And with that I was by myself once more.

Well now, this is going to be a boring time. And I'll be spending who knows how long dealing with this crap.

* * *

"Finally!"

I stretched my arms then my legs.

"You really are happy to be out of those casts, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" I glanced over at Antonio, who had been the one to bring me to get my casts finally removed. "Of course I'm happy. They sent me home and expected me to get crap actually done. You saw what happened when I needed to go piss that first day."

"You got better after!"

"It was annoying trying to learn though." I rubbed my left hip, remembering when I fell that first time. The pain was long gone, but the memory of it wasn't.

"So, for your first day out, what would you like to do?"

I raised an eyebrow. "It's your day off. Are you sure you want to spend it with me?"

Antonio smiled. "Sure! We're friends, so I don't mind spending the day with you."

Wow…That's kinda nice. His day off and he wants to spend it with a sour puss like me. "Oh, uh…I guess I'd like to go visit Feliciano. I haven't heard from him for the past few days." He's probably sleeping on the couch or something for a siesta right about now.

"Maybe I should call and see if anyone's there."

"Feliciano would be there if anything. We all have to be careful until we're fully cured of this curse or whatever. There's no knowing what would happen if it got out what happened to us. Maybe we'd be stuck in a lab or something." There's no way I'd let Feliciano be stuck in a lab. "Let's just go see if he's home."

And that is what we did, making small talk on the way there.

"Oh hey Tony, you guys heading somewhere?"

The voice, which had sounded from behind Antonio and I, was definitely a voice I recognized.

"Gil?" Antonio asked as we both turned to look at the albino. He was carrying a bag and had a small yellow canary on his shoulder. A canary I recognized very well.

"Yep. And Mattie." Gilbert pointed at the canary on his shoulder. "It's easier this way for us to get around with Mattie's wings. We were just heading to Luddy's house."

"We were doing the same thing," Antonio stated happily. He smiled at his friend like the happy smiley person he is. "We can go visit him together."

"You were dragged into this as well I guess?" I asked Matthew as Gilbert and Antonio dove into some random conversation.

"I wouldn't be doing anything else," Matthew answered, ruffling his feathers. "I'd just be stuck at Gil's house watching TV." He let out a little tweet that I heard as laughter. "He doesn't exactly have many books to read. He blames his bad eyesight on that."

A snort escaped me. "Yeah. Sure. That's to blame."

Our conversation continued on with us making fun of our owners until we reached Ludwig's house. Even when we reached it, Matthew and I continued our conversations.

Or we tried to.

We were interrupted when the door was opened and I was tackled to the ground by a hyperactive creature known as my brother.

"Lovi, you'll never guess what happened!"

I blinked, trying to get my bearings straight after my brother had horribly violated my poor sensitive ears. "What the fuck Feli? You're trying to make me go deaf?"

"But but but…Look at me! I'm human again!"

"What?" I took a good look at my brother and noticed he didn't have his cat ears. "How?"

"Well, Luddy and I have been getting closer and closer. And last night I gave him a kiss, which he returned. And after some pain, Ludwig had told me that I didn't have my ears anymore."

"That's great!" Matthew said happily.

Feliciano tilted his head as Antonio pulled him off of me. "What did Matthew say?"

"He said 'That's great,'" I answered. "You can't hear him anymore?"

My brother tugged me up once he was standing before finally answering me. "No." He didn't let go of my hand. "How about you guys come inside so that we can talk more? Luddy's working right now and won't be home for a few more hours, but I can make everyone some pasta!"

I didn't get a choice in the matter since I was being tugged into the house. Antonio and Gilbert just followed me into the house that belonged to none of us technically.

"Do you want to help me make the pasta?" Feli asked me as he dragged me to the kitchen.

"Sure." With that said, he and I went about making food. After a minute or so, Matthew came into the room in his semi-human form, fully clothed, and we all talked about the curse and how we'd be able to finally break it.

It apparently wasn't impossibly to break since my brother and his meat-brick wall of an owner managed to do it. Hell, if he was able to do it, I'm sure the rest of us would be able to as well…Sadly, it depended on our owners for it to work.

"So, apparently when Ludwig kissed back, he returned your affection and it cured you," Matthew stated.

"Is it when they do something to show they feel something toward us cursed?" I asked. "Or is it when they realize they feel something?"

"We'd have to see when a few of the others are cured. With only Feliciano being cured, it's hard to tell."

Feliciano poked my side and pointed at the cabinets. "Can you get the plates?"

I nodded and did as he asked.

"Who do you think will be next?"

"Maybe Elizabeta," Matthew guessed, grabbing some of the plates from me. "She and Roderich seem to get along pretty well, don't you think?"

"I dunno, Eva and her crazy owner seem to go well together too," I put in. "From what she told me, he's fairly protective of her."

"To be honest, I didn't think Feliciano would be the first to be fully cured, yet here he is." Matthew stuck his head out the door of the kitchen. "We're serving food now guys." He turned his attention back to us. "No offence Feliciano."

Feli shrugged as he fixed the last plate of spaghetti. "I didn't think it'd happen either. I just kissed him on an impulse to be honest and I didn't think he'd kiss me back." He looked over his shoulder at me. "For all we know, Alfred or even Lukas could be next."

"Next for what?" Antonio asked as he walked into the room. Gilbert followed behind him.

"We're trying to guess who'll be the next one to be cured," Feli said happily. He carried his plate to the table and sat down next to me.

"Did you guys settle on one?"

"No, it's just too hard to tell," Matthew answered.

"I'm just going to guess randomly and pick Elizabeta, like Matthew suggested," I stated before taking a bite of spaghetti.

"Why her?" Antonio asked. "Oh, this is good."

"Thank you," my brother and I answered together.

"And she seems to be on fairly good terms with her owner. Once her owner finally has some kind of feelings, romantic or otherwise, Elizabeta should be cured." I took another bite of my food. "Or at least that's what we hypothesize from the information we gathered and what happened with Feliciano." I glanced up at the two men who hadn't been cursed. "We don't even know if that's what it really was. Maybe it's like a fucked up fairy tale and all we need is a kiss to be cured."

"I can help with that." Gilbert glanced over at Matthew. "Wanna try Mattie?"

Matthew blushed a bit. "Uh, no thanks Gilbert."

"Keep your hands to yourself buddy," I ordered the albino. "And no Antonio, you can't try it either."

Antonio groaned. "Aww. But I wanted to see if it was like a fairy tale and I could be a prince. Maybe your knight in shining armor."

"The only kind of shining armor you'll be wearing is a pot that I smashed over your head if you try it."

The sigh that I heard come from my roommate/owner wasn't really a sad one. "Fine. If you don't want to be the princess…What if I wear a dress and you try to wake me from my sleep with a kiss?"

I snorted, nearly choking on the food in my mouth. "I think I'd die from lack of air before I got that far."

"Oh, maybe I can get Luddy to give me a kiss if I wear a dress and sleep!" Feliciano piped in.

I didn't even look at him as I told him 'no.'

"Aww, but why not Lovi?"

"He'll go for a kiss, then groping, then he'll take your innocence! No!"

"He's not that bad," Gilbert defended. "Ludwig's a decent guy and wouldn't do that in such a short amount of time of liking someone…I'm more likely to do that than he is."

"Oh god." Matthew ducked his head.

"I never said I would!" Gilbert then tried to assure Matthew that he wasn't going to try anything on him.  
Obviously Matthew was a little doubtful. I would be too with an owner/roommate like his. Thankfully my roommate just planned to kill me by making me laugh so hard I can't breathe.

Maybe I can kill him first by giving him frilly panties and telling him he has to wear it to match the dress. He'll be the one laughing. Maybe.

No…It'd still be me.

Cause I can see him actually going along with it and wearing the fucking thing. And I'd die.

Laughing.

I just can't win in this, can I?

"Um, Lovi, are you okay?"

I glanced up to look at my brother, who was giving me a worried look. "What?"

"I asked if you were okay. You've been giving the food in your plate a strange look. Why?"

"I was trying to figure out if Antonio was planning to kill me."

"What?"

"I wouldn't do that!" Antonio immediately shouted through the food in his mouth, waving his hands in front of his face. The spaghetti was just dangling from his mouth.

"Not intentionally. You said you would wear the dress. I'd obviously die laughing." Another bite of my food was eaten.

There was a snort of laughter from Gilbert and a stifled laugh from Matthew.

"That's what had you distracted?" Matthew finally managed to get out. He was still trying to hide his laughs.

"Well yeah. I was worried he was out to kill me with laughter for a second there."

"Wait, what's wrong with wearing a dress?" Feliciano asked.

I sighed, patting the top of his head. "You could get away with it when we were younger, but unless you're pretending to be a girl, don't wear one."

"But why?"

"Uh, ask the guy you swapped saliva with later." Take that meat wall. Kiss my brother and you'll have to deal with explaining why he shouldn't wear dresses.

Unless the guy is into that.

Ugh.

Some people and their weird kinks.

I guess I can't be one to talk. I want to smear tomato sauce over my partner and lick it off of them…

Hmm…Maybe if it was someone who also liked tomatoes then I could get them to lick some off of me too. Maybe…I shouldn't think of this at the dinner table.

Damn I have issues.

I get a crazy ass motherfucker off my back finally after all these years, and I think of things like this. I swear, my mind just can't stay on one damn subject.

Maybe once this is all over I'll go in for some therapy. Then again, I don't want a quack telling me something I already know. Shit, why can't this be easy…

My mind is just too fucked up for even me to figure it out.

Maybe I'll just get drunk and forget this whole conversation in my mind ever happened. Yeah, that's a good idea. And then when I'm sober again, I'll smack my head against a wall if I ever have some weird thoughts like now again.


	24. Number Two is Who?

**AN: I apologize for the shortened chapters lately.**

* * *

"Fuck." I sighed, taking off my shirt.

"All you have left is your pants and boxers Lovi," Feliciano pointed out.

I growled at him. "I know that Feliciano." If my brother had joined in on our game, all of us would have been naked by now.

Gilbert was only in boxers right now, Matthew still had his shirt along with his boxers and pants, and Antonio was also just in his boxers. Ludwig had chosen to watch from the sides and both Matthew and I refused to let Feli join in on our strip poker game.

"Antonio!" a female called into the apartment before a knock sounded. "Can we come in?"

"You can, but I'd cover your eyes!"

"Why?" The door opened and Elizabeta came into our view. Her eyes widened for a moment before she giggled. Roderich came into view as well and from the sound of the door closing, he had obviously closed the door behind himself. At least he was nice enough to do that.

"What're you four doing half naked?" Roderich asked.

"Elizabeta, you don't have a jacket on!" Feliciano pointed out.

He was right. Elizabeta was in a green sundress and didn't have a jacket on. Her wings were gone.

"You broke your curse," I observed before glancing at my cards.

Elizabeta nodded with a smile before twirling once. "It happened this morning while Roderich and I were drinking some tea. We were discussing some things and my back started to hurt. I ended up breaking a tea cup from the pain, but once it was done, Roderich told me that I no longer had wings."

"Two down then," I told her before looking at the table. "Shit!" I glared at Antonio, who was grinning.

"Hand them over."

"Bastard! You cheated!"

"I did no such thing. Now hand over your pants."

I glared at my roommate. "I'm watching you from now on."

"We only have one more to go," he told me, waiting for me to take my pants off.

"I swear…One day." I unzipped my pants and slipped them off before tossing them at Antonio's head. He obviously hadn't been expecting me to toss them at his face since I was sitting right next to him, and he fell off of the arm of the couch. Maybe I should've moved when he sat there…He could see my cards if he moved his head enough and I wasn't paying attention.

I snorted at the man who was now sprawled on the floor.

"Can I join?" Elizabeta asked.

"Not exactly fair since most of us are nearly naked," I told her.

A hand appeared over the side of the sofa and groped the air. He wasn't trying to pull himself up though.

"Then we can start a new game," she suggested. "Roddy never plays strip poker with me."

I grabbed at the hand and began tugging it to try to help Antonio up.

"That's because it's indecent," Roderich answered.

"But it's fun," Gilbert answered. "You've always been uptight Roddy. Loosen up and live a little."

"You're heavy," I complained to Antonio before actually getting up from my seat on the couch and kneeling to try to pull Antonio with both hands.

"You're too weak," he retorted. I could see over the sofa's arm that he was grinning up at me.

"You live two years as a cat. You don't exactly lift weights you know." I groaned, trying to lift up the guy. "Can't you just get up?"

"I could, but I thought you would've helped me up."

"Well I can't, so obviously you were wrong. Now get up!"

"Fine."

So Antonio _finally_ got up and sat back in his spot.

"No, I don't trust you there," I told him.

"But I like sitting here."

"Then I'm sitting here." And I moved to sit on the back of the couch. "This way you can't cheat again." I let my tail twitch back and forth off the back of the couch.

"But you can cheat off of me," he whined.

It was my turn to grin. "Such a shame."

Antonio made a face, which I'm assuming was supposed to be a pouting face, before glancing at the table. "I don't know if I can trust you not to cheat."

"It'd be smart if you didn't trust me," I answered.

"So-"

Antonio never got to finish what he was saying because the door of his apartment opened and hit the wall.

"Antonio, I'm back," a certain Frenchman called.

I yelped before changing into a cat and falling from the back of the couch. "Matthew, change now!"

I heard a tweet.

"Why didn't you knock?" Elizabeta asked when Francis came into sight. "It's very rude to enter without knocking you know."

Francis looked at Elizabeta. "And who might you be young lady? Someone who's caught our Antonio's eye perhaps?"

"Actually she's living with Roderich," Antonio answered. His feet came into view, meaning he had gotten off of the couch.

"Ah yes. I believe she had been at Jeanne's beach house that night it had been broken into."

"I was helping out Lovino." She walked over and picked me up. "And I believe you also remember Feliciano?" She turned to my brother to hand me to him.

"Why didn't you tell me that you guys were in touch with some of those people?" Francis asked, walking over to the couch. "And why are you and Gilbert half naked? Are you having a stripping party without having invited me?"

"We were playing strip poker," Gilbert answered.

"Apparently you two suck at this game," Francis observed. "But why are there two more sets of clothes on the floor?"

Crap. I didn't have any time to pick anything up since that bastard just barged right in.

"Oh, um."

"Matthew, help me distract him," I told him.

"Alright." He started tweeting before flying around the blond man. I wiggled off of my brother's lap and ran at the man to pull at his pants' leg.

"Gilbert, Antonio, control your pets."

I continued tugging at Francis's pants leg until he reached down to grab me. Right before he could touch me, I let go and ran around his leg to the other side.

"They're just playing," Elizabeta lied to him. "They did the same thing to Roderich and me."

"So why did you visit?" Antonio asked, seemingly trying to get the attention from Matthew and me.

"Oh, yes. I wanted to tell you the news in person. Since Gilbert is here as well it will only take one visit." The Frenchman smiled widely. "Jeanne is pregnant."

"Wait, isn't that going to put your wedding off longer?" Antonio asked.

"Unless your fiancée is planning on wadding down the isle like a duck," Gilbert added.

"Ah, about that. She wanted to have the wedding in a month."

"Oh, a wedding," Elizabeta cooed. She turned to my brother. "Feli, isn't that exciting?"

Feliciano nodded and the two bonded over a conversation about weddings. Their previous owners, now roommates/lovers/whatever the fuck they are, sat there talking to each other and trying to tune out the two feminine creatures known as Feliciano and Elizabeta.

"You're going to have to rush to get everything prepared in time," Antonio told his friend.

"I know. This is probably the only break I'll get until after the wedding."

"Have you guys decided who your best man and maid of honor will be?" Gilbert asked.

"Not yet. You know I'd like both of you guys to be my best man, but I'll have to choose one of you."

They continued on like this, boring me.

I let out a yawn and made my way to what had turned into my room. I quickly glanced in the direction of the living room before changing and opening my door so I could get into my room. Once in there, I closed the door quietly behind me and made my way to the bed. Maybe a nice nap would be good.

It's not exactly interesting listening to someone talk about their wedding. Especially someone I don't give a flying fuck about…Though the woman he's marrying has soft boobs. If I get cured, I won't be able to feel them again since women don't like guys randomly rubbing their faces in their breasts…

Breasts make great pillows though…Then again, so does Antonio's ass. I'll just use that as a pillow if I feel the loss of the breastillows.

Breastillows…Breasts, in pillow form.

Now in four colors!

Red, green, blue, and yellow!

Collect the whole set!

Hmm, that'd actually be pretty creepy. One blue boob and a red boob…Then there's a green boob and a yellow boob…Unless it's a bra.

Damn this is confusing!

Maybe I should go to sleep before I get a headache. Or at least before I think of assillows…

It's an ass in a pillow.

That doesn't sound as pleasant as breastillows.

You know what, I'm just gonna go to bed.

Yeah, that might be the best thing to do. And when I wake up, I'll be thinking of normal things, like what to eat for supper or the meaning of life…

A snort escaped my lips as I snuggled in the covers of my bed.

Fuck the meaning of life. Everyone wants to know, but no one actually gives a fuck what it actually is. It's just a question that everyone asks just to make others curious. And then people actually begin to wonder only to stop wondering when others ask why they even want to know. The meaning of life won't really change anything once you know it anyway.

Why the hell am I even thinking about the meaning of life? Am I really that bored?

Of course I am that bored…I'm thinking of the meaning of life.

Why am I not thinking of anything normal today?

I blame that game of strip poker. Someone did something to my brain during that game. I don't know how or why, but they had to have done something. Or maybe that drink Feli brought me was spiked. He said it was some wine that Ludwig had at his house.

That's where things went wrong.

I took something from the guy who eats my brother's face behind closed doors. And probably other parts of him.

You know what, no more taking mysterious drinks from the house of tall meat walls. If Feliciano ever brings anything from Ludwig I should refuse to take it.

Should…

I probably won't though. Feli has some good taste. But he's also dumb as bricks sometimes, so even if his drink was spiked I don't think he'd really be any different. And the one to blame for spiking any drinks actually would be Matthew's owner/roommate, Gilbert. He visits Ludwig as often as he visits Antonio apparently. One time he even came over while Antonio was gone and got himself piss drunk.

I got Matthew, who was with him as always, to help me drag him into the hall closet where we left him passed out for about four hours. We had forgotten about him actually…Matthew and I were busy exchanging stories about the stupid crap Gilbert and Antonio had done while they still thought we were actual animals. We only remembered he was in there when Antonio came home and asked Matthew if Gilbert was around.

The albino stayed passed out for another hour after we checked on him.

I swear that he was okay when he stumbled out and that Antonio actually did take care of him…Too bad I lie, even to myself.

Antonio ended up ignoring him after knowing where he was and made us some paella to eat. It was actually pretty good.

The paella I mean, not that Antonio ignored him…It was kinda funny though.

"Oh, so that's where he is," he had said before turning to look at Matthew and me. "So, how about some paella?"

After that Gilbert was just completely forgotten. We remembered him again when he groaned and pulled himself out of the closet and eventually found us in the living room. We had been playing poker, as we seem to do pretty often. It's a pretty good game to play, especially when it's of the stripping variety. It actually makes the game worth playing to see who sucks the most at the game and who is like a god at the game.

Feliciano is the god of poker…I swear that guy just gets so lucky.

And I'm pretty sure he still doesn't know very much about the game.

Then there's also that nurse I played a game against while I was stuck in the hospital and none of the others were there…I wonder who would win between her and Feliciano if they went against each other.

Why the hell am I even wondering this? It's making my brain work overtime and not want to take a nap.

"Lovi?" The voice brought me out of my _very_ strange musings. "Francis left so you can come out now."

I stared at the door for a moment, trying to figure out if I wanted to answer my brother or pretend I was asleep.

"Lovi, are you awake?"

"Yeah," I finally answered.

Apparently Feli had been waiting for that because he opened my door to look into my room.

"Were you trying to sleep?" he asked.

"Trying, but my brain seems to disagree with the idea."

"Are you going to come back into the living room then? Or do you want to try to go back to sleep."

I sighed and lifted my upper torso from the bed. "I'll go back in the living room. It'd be useless trying to sleep."


	25. Sick Day

I sighed, watching the TV. "No Feli."

"But you said we would."

"I don't want to get up right now," I told my brother. "And when we choose a location I want us both to be there."

"Then you can come with me. I could go visit until you get up."

"Feli, just wait until another day please. I have to go now, so I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Bye Lovi."

"Bye." After I hung up, I leaned over and put the phone on the floor. The truth is I had woken up feeling like crap this morning and from what the thermometer I found in Antonio's bathroom said, I also have a fever. I didn't want my brother seeing me sick. He already had to see me in the hospital, so there's no need to worry him over something as simple as being sick, which he's sure to spazz over.

Thankfully Antonio had already left by the time I had woken up, so he didn't have to see me being sick. How I'm going to hide it from him when he gets back from work though, I'm not sure. And I don't know how he'd react to me being sick. When I was in the hospital, he did come pretty often after work and try to keep me company so he must care a little over my well-being. That meant he'd react in some way to a silly little fever.

I made my way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It's been a while since I've been sick with a fever, so it's sort of difficult to figure out what to make that would be best for me…Maybe Elizabeta would know.

I called her up, having to use the little book of phone numbers next to the phone.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. I recognized it as Roderich.

"Hey, this is Lovino. Is Elizabeta there right now?"

"Yes, she's drinking some tea and reading a book in the study at the moment."

"Can I talk to her?"

"One moment." It took more than one moment for her to finally pick up the phone.

Just saying.

"Hello?" she asked once she picked up the phone. "Roderich said you wanted to talk to me Lovi?"

"Yeah, what should someone eat when they're sick?"

It was quiet for a moment. "Are you sick?"

"Yeah. Don't let Feliciano or Antonio know."

"Give me a few minutes then. I'll come right over and take care of you."

My eyes widened a little. "I don't want you to come over. I just wanted to know what I should eat."

"You should be eating chicken soup and resting as much as you can, that's why I'm going over. And I'll see if I can pick up some medicine at the store as well. Are you allergic to anything?"

I huffed, not wanting Elizabeta going out of her way to take care of me, but afraid she'd threaten to smack me if I didn't listen. "No."

"Good. Now I want you to rest. If you're not laying down when I get there, I will smack you with a frying pan."

"Uh."

"See you in a little while," she cooed.

"Uh yeah…see you…"

And with that, the line went dead.

Maybe I should lie down.

Yeah, that'd probably be the safest idea. If I'm not on the couch or in bed or something by the time she gets here, she will hit me…

She's hit me with a frying pan once, while I was still injured from what Sadiq had done to me. And while we were fully cursed she went through with the threat of smacking me by turning human and smacking my still feline self.

And I don't even want to question her on where she had gotten it from or where she hid it.

I laid down on the couch, turning my attention to the TV that was still on. Oh, cartoons are on. Yeah, I'll watch that. There's nothing else that's remotely interesting ever on TV. Cartoons are always nice to watch no matter the person's age.

Fuck anyone who thinks differently.

So, I watched TV for a while until a knock sounded at the door.

"Lovino. It's me."

"Come in!" I called to her, still watching TV.

She did so and when she saw where I was, she was obviously pleased. "Good. You took my advice and you're resting."

More like I didn't want to get beat with a frying pan…But like hell I was going to tell her that. I valued being conscious a little too much for that.

"So, I'm going to stay here for the day and take care of you," she explained, walking toward the kitchen. "And since you don't want Antonio to know, I need to get you looking as normal as possible as soon as possible. So unless you have to use the restroom you're going to stay on that couch and sleep. If you're not sleeping then you'll just be relaxing or eating. I'm not allowing you to do anything else today, understand?"

I grumbled a bit, but knew she was just trying to take care of me. "Yeah yeah."

"Good. Now take a nap while I'm cooking. I'll be making you some soup. Once I get your food cooking, I'll bring you a glass of water and check your temperature."

"Thanks for helping out Elizabeta."

She didn't answer right away. When she did though it was calm. "It's no problem Lovi. You're like a brother to me, so I don't mind taking care of you. I guess spending two years together as cats who have to protect and depend each other to survive does that to a person."

"Maybe that curse really did us some good." I stared at the TV without really paying attention to what I was seeing. "Before it, I only had Feliciano. Now I have friends I actually care about."

"And who care about you. Despite how everyone may act, Lukas being so stoic, Natalia being as cruel as she is, Alfred being…well Alfred…We're all a family." Elizabeta came into the living room and looked at me from the back of the couch. "I don't know if I had told you this, but I was alone before we were cursed. My parents had just up and left me all alone when I was only seventeen. I, using money I managed to get from distant relatives, ended up heading to America, a place I heard such good things about, and getting a job and an apartment, where I lived alone. I had been in that shop at the time we were cursed because a co-worker had asked if I would like to join the company Halloween party. All I had to do was help by getting some decorations. You know what happened after that though."

"Yeah."

"And because of that I ended up finding a new family and someone who cares about me." She leaned her arms on the back of the couch. "Maybe it was fate that we were all there. Maybe it was meant for us to go through this so that we could find some kind of happiness in our lives."

I hummed a little bit in thought. "Maybe…"

"Well, enough about me. Go to sleep."

I didn't fight her, feeling tired enough from being sick to actually listen, and curled up on the couch a little more.

I had felt fingers running through my hair for a minute or so before I actually managed to fall asleep. Too bad that it was a nightmare I fell into.

* * *

"Lovino wake up."

My eyes snapped open when I heard someone calling my name.

"Oh good, you're awake."

My confused mind took a little while, but eventually I managed to figure out it was Elizabeta, who was crouched by my side, who had told me to wake up. I wasn't in that room watching Feli suffer…That was horrible.

"What's wrong?" I eventually asked the concerned woman.

"I think you were having a nightmare." She reached forward and I felt something cold and wet on my forehead. "You were groaning and thrashing in your sleep. You're also sweating more than before you went to sleep. Are you feeling cold?"

I thought of it for a moment, trying to figure out if I actually was cold, before shaking my head.

"Then you weren't breaking your fever. It was just a nightmare…Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "No…I'd prefer not to."

"Alright. Do you want a bowl of soup since you're awake at least? Starving won't help you get better."

"I guess…"

She fixed me a bowl of soup and ended up fixing a bowl for herself as well.

"So how're things with you and Antonio?" Elizabeta asked me after a while. I was halfway through my bowl of soup when she asked the question to be completely honest.

"Um, alright I guess? We get along well enough. Why do you ask?"

"Well…Roderich and I had been discussing about beginning a relationship since we get along so well when I lost my wings… Feliciano said that he lost his animal traits when Ludwig kissed him back."

"Antonio wouldn't like me like that," I told her, waving the idea off. "Friends maybe if I'm lucky…I can be quite the annoying prick, as you should know already. Hell, most of us would be very lucky if we entered anything more than friendship with our ex-owners, now roommates. I think friendship would be perfectly fine for me. Not many people actually like being around me you know, so just a friend to talk to is okay with me."

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Roderich told me that Antonio is looking to settle down with someone and you told me he's not into women…Just know that you do fall under that category of people he could have his eye on. You don't like women either, other than to flirt, so maybe you should think about that."

I rolled my eyes. "I know, but why would a cheerful guy like him want to have any kind of relationship with a sour prick like me? Hell, even friendship will be pushing it. Our personalities clash too much."

"You think too lowly about yourself Lovino." Elizabeta shook her head. "I use to think that I was too plain or that my hair was too messy-you know how bad it gets with the humidity since it's so long-for anyone to find me even remotely attractive. Roderich loves my long hair because it's different from how most of these girls have their hair. He doesn't mind that it gets tangled easily either and will sit with me and talk while I brush my hair out."

"I don't have long hair," I pointed out, not understanding why she brought up long hair.

"But you have your looks. You're a handsome Italian man. I'll be honest, when I first saw you in the shop that's exactly what I thought of you. But besides your looks, which I just wanted to point out that you actually had going for you, you actually do have a very sweet side. You may be a prick sometimes, but you can be the sweetest guy anyone will ever meet if you really care for someone enough. I've seen you that way with Tino before when he had gotten that fever. You snuck into stores and stole medicine for him, and begged for him. Any food that you managed to get for all of us, you gave your share to him _and_ your brother. And your brother, you always gave him more food than you ever gave yourself."

I couldn't say anything to what she was saying. She was telling the truth.

"I don't care what you say. You have a chance of having a relationship, so I don't want to hear you putting yourself down or saying you'll never have one."

She leaned over and flicked my forehead.

"Ow!" I rubbed at the spot, glaring at the woman who had done it.

"Maybe you'll actually listen to me."

I snorted. "I doubt it."

"You listened to me while I was a bird, you'll listen to me now."

"You were slightly bigger than me and that beak hurt."

"I can get a frying pan you know. It'll hurt more than that beak ever had."

I winced before glancing at the clock. It was getting late and I'm sure I still looked a bit feverish. "Hey, do you mind if I stay over at your house tonight?"

Elizabeta frowned at that. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't want Antonio fretting over me, and I know I must still look a little feverish."

She seemed to think for a bit before she shook her head. "I can understand that you don't want him worrying about you, but you should let him take care of you as well." I watched as Elizabeta went about cleaning up around the living room and then ventured to the kitchen. "You two can bond while he helps you."

"Don't force us together."

"Don't force him away." After that she was silent as she finished cleaning up behind herself. In fact, she didn't say a word until she was about to leave. "Good luck Lovino."

That being said, I was all alone now. At least until Antonio arrived and began worrying over my fever.

Instead of doing nothing on the couch until he came back home, I decided to watch TV yet again even though I knew nothing would be on. I had to do something until Antonio returned home and would probably worry over my minor cold.

It didn't take as long as I thought for him to get back, but when he did, he indeed did fret over my cold. He made sure I was comfortable on the sofa and that I had water and soup nearby. He had said he just wanted to make sure I was as comfy as possible while I was sick.

"You don't have to worry so much," I told him.

He just waved it off. "That's what friends do for each other. They take care of one another when they're sick."

"I guess I should remember that if you ever get sick."

Antonio laughed a little, but didn't say much other than that for the next ten or so minutes. He did say something after that though. "Oh, and I'll take tomorrow off so that I can take care of you. If you strain yourself too much you'll get worse instead of better."

"You don't have to do that."

He sent me a look. "I know I don't _have_ to. I _want_ to though." And that was the end of that argument, if I could even call it that…It was really just me telling him not to take the day off and him just taking it off anyway.

I guess it was more of a disagreement? Ah well, whatever it's called, I don't care.

Either way I'll be taken care of tomorrow. It'll be nice being taken care of for a change.


	26. Trust Me and I'll Trust You

**AN: Sorry for the wait between this chapter and the last. I won't bore you with any details on why this took two months to get out, but I do apologize. I hope the rest of the chapters don't take this long to get out to you guys, but there's a chance that they may. So to sum things up, this story isn't done or forgotten, just having issues.**

* * *

Two and a half months have passed since Elizabeta lost her wings. Nothing much happened during those two months besides the fact that during the first meeting between all of us cursed/use-to-be-cursed ones I found out Tino and Alfred had broken the curse. They didn't tell anyone else since it was only a few days before the meeting, Tino the day before and Alfred about three days. The second meeting turned out to have Natalia cured, and for her to have an unhealthy obsession with her once owner.

Not that I care. It's her life. She can be weird with whoever she wants.

The second meeting also took place in the building Feliciano bought using our money. He and I decided we wanted a more family-based place and chose somewhere a fairly nice distance away from any bars and stripper places. It's only a one story place for now, since it's actually not far away from where we live, so we figured we wouldn't have to move in just yet.

We still have to turn on the power, water, and other things, then begin getting the furniture, and finally hire and train staff.

Feli and I aren't too worried of having too many people at the moment, since we already knew how to take orders and cook them as well.

"We'll have to put up a 'Now Hiring' sign Lovi," Feliciano told me. He was sitting with me in Antonio's kitchen while we ate some spaghetti. We were trying to go over the details on what we needed for the restaurant and Feli decided that he was hungry.

"True, but I want to be the one to interview everyone," I told him. "I don't want some lazy fucker working in our place."

My brother nodded, knowing I probably knew better than him on who would be good for the job.

"Oh, and maybe we can have a TV or two." Feli didn't continue in favor of eating another forkful of spaghetti. I patiently waited for him to finish the bite before continuing. I didn't make gestures telling him I was waiting either…

"Okay…" I'm actually not as patient as I look.

"Well, I know that some people like watching the news," he said. "And kids like cartoons. So maybe we can have a TV that has the news on, and maybe another one with cartoons. This way both the parents and the kids will be occupied while eating."

I nodded, adding 'at least two TVs' to the list I had been making. "That's actually pretty smart."

My brother grinned. "I can come up with good ideas too."

I wasn't able to answer him as I heard knocking at the door.

"It can't be that albino bastard," I grumbled, getting up from my seat and unfinished plate of spaghetti. "He would've opened the door and strolled right in by now."

The knock sounded through the apartment again.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." I opened the door to see that it was Matthew.

"Lovino, the curse is gone!" he said happily, showing off his back. Through his t-shirt I could see no bump.

"That's great," I answered with a smile before letting him in and closing the door behind him. "Oh Feliciano is in the kitchen and there's some spaghetti if you want any." He followed me as I led the way. "How did it happen?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. "Hi Feliciano." He nodded in the direction of my brother, who was now done with his plate of food and eating mine.

"Hey! That was mine!"

"Sorry Lovi. I thought you were done."

I rolled my eyes at my brother but otherwise ignored what I should've known would happen. Matthew would need a plate anyway.

"So, were you and the albino talking, kissing, fucking, what?"

Turning my head from making a fresh plate, I could see that Matthew's face had gone red.

"What?" he asked, his voice slightly higher, out of embarrassment I'm guessing.

I snorted. "I was just throwing guesses out there."

Matthew sighed and leaned against the counter next to me. "Gilbert's at work right now. I left him a note telling him where I was."

"So…how did the curse break then?" The plate was handed to Matthew. "Everyone else so far had been near their owner, or roommate…Hell if I know what they are anymore."

"You broke the curse?" Feliciano asked from the table.

Matthew nodded before turning to show my brother his flat back. When he was sure Feli had seen it, he turned back around and started eating his spaghetti.

I just hope Feliciano doesn't try to hug him and cause him to drop his plate. Cleaning messes isn't exactly on my list of things to do today.

"So, if he wasn't there then maybe he had the realization you were important while he was working," I guessed. "Wouldn't surprise me if that freaky albino was doing anything except what he should be doing." I crossed my arms over my chest. "It's the only thing I can think of. Apparently the curse is broken when the person who was responsible for half breaking it has some type of feelings back, whether romantic or friendship. It happened with Feliciano. Elizabeta told us she had been discussing on changing their friendship to a relationship with Roderich when hers was broken. It just makes sense."

Seeing how his mouth had food in it, Matthew just nodded.

A sigh escaped me. "That leaves Heracles, Eva, Lukas, and me, right?"

Both Feliciano and Matthew thought for a second before nodding.

"We can ask if any of them would like to work at Romano's during the meeting too," Feli added in.

My eyes immediately went to my brother. "Where'd that name come from?"

My brother shrugged. "I just thought of it. It sounds good though doesn't it?"

It actually did to be honest. "Yeah. I guess we'll call the place 'Romano's' then." My eyes went over to Matthew. "Do you want to work there Matthew? You could be a waiter."

He hummed, since his mouth was full of food, and then finally swallowed the food to answer with actual words. "Sure. It'd be nice to have a job and money coming in. I feel bad knowing Gilbert has to work to feed both of us."

I shrugged. "I know that feeling. I'll pay Antonio back later though, when Feli and I get Romano's up and running."

"Why don't you pay him with our money Lovi?" Feli asked, tilting his head a little. "We have more than enough."

"I don't want to really spend more than we have to from that. I know we're using it for the restaurant, but we'll make that back easily enough."

Neither one said anything, causing me to sigh.

"And Antonio worked for his money. I want to pay him back with the money I worked for."

"I don't know why you say that you're 'an annoying prick' as you've put it," Matthew said, twirling his fork in the spaghetti while glancing at me. "I've only really seen you act rude to Natalia and sometimes Alfred, though even I will admit that sometimes he deserves it. Otherwise though, you're almost always nice to the rest of us."

"You forgot that I don't like Antonio's friends…And I'm not fond of the meat wall that sucked face with my brother."

"Ah, but fratello…"

"Don't you dare continue that," I told him with a glare. "What happens between you two _stays_ between you two. I want to know nothing about what you two do."

"Okay…"

"Just fix yourself another plate of spaghetti."

"See, even though you don't like Ludwig, you didn't insult him." I opened my mouth to speak, but Matthew had seen it coming. "You understand where I'm coming from though. You could've called him a much fouler name, but you didn't."

"Because Feli likes him…I don't want to see the idiot cry."

"Aww, thank you fratello!"

And cue the tackle from my brother.

That was no hug he gave me. That was a straight out tackle. The guy never slowed down or anything. He just rammed straight into me and smacked me against the counter.

I do have to say that the back of my head had a very nice meeting with the counter. Oh yeah. They had a nice chat about the weather and how the world is so messed up.

"Oh indeed they're cruel. I'm not even made of actual wood! It's fake wood."

"Really? I'm pretty sure I'm a real skull…Or I was real before my meeting with you. I'm quite sure I'll have a metal plate very soon though."

Okay…That really never was said between the counter and the back of my skull…Mostly because neither one can actually talk.

They did meet pretty quickly and roughly though.

"Ow," I groaned, pushing my brother away so that I could rub the painful spot that would be sure to have a bump very soon if not already.

"Um, are you okay?" Matthew asked.  
"Oh yeah fine," I said, shaking my head a bit. "I like smacking my head against the counter."

"Sorry," Feli apologized, laughing nervously.

"Yeah yeah." I've smacked my head against enough things to know I won't get a concussion from just something like that. And I've smacked my head harder than that too.

"Are we going to ask Antonio, Gilbert, Ludwig, and the others too?" Feliciano asked, more than likely trying to get me to forget about my head's unfortunate, yet expected, meeting with the counter.

I'm not going to forget about it that easily though.

"They all have jobs, but we can offer them a job…though I'd prefer the meat wall and his albino brother not accept it…" I groaned. "Knowing my luck, they'll both want the job."

"What about Natalia?" Matthew questioned.

I shook my head. "I'll ask everyone at our next meeting, but I don't want to work with her and I'm sure the feeling's mutual. I have a feeling Elizabeta, Alfred, Tino, and Eva would want to work with us though if anyone from our group would."

"You don't think the others would want to work at your place?"

I shook my head. "Not unless they really want a job that they can work with those of us that were cursed."

"Hmm…" I glanced at Matthew's face. He seemed somewhat distracted.

"Something wrong?"

"Well…" Matthew seemed to hesitate.

Feliciano glanced up from another plate of spaghetti.

"What do you think Gilbert was thinking of when I was freed from the curse?"

"Dunno." I shrugged my shoulders. "Your best bet would be to ask _him_ that question. He could've been thinking of anything." A snort escaped me unintentionally. "It's just a little surprising that albino can think at all."

A shooting pain passed through my head before going down my spine and to my toes, causing me to grip the counter behind me. "Ah shit."

"Lovi?"

"Lovino, are you okay?"

With how much pressure I was squeezing the edge of the counter, I was actually surprised that the counter didn't at least crack. Eventually though, the pain did pass. When it did, I let out a sigh.

"Lovi, your ears are gone." I looked up to see that Feliciano had a smile on his face. A quick glance at Matthew and I saw that he had the same look on his face.

"Your own curse is broken. That's great."

A quick run over of my teeth with my tongue also told me that my fangs were gone as well, causing me to smile. To be honest, I never thought the rest of this curse would be broken. I'm distant from people I don't trust…but I do trust Antonio…I realized that from the moment I managed to become half human.

And apparently he trusted me too.


End file.
